It’s not a secret that right now, teens’ mental health is a large topic of discussion. Everywhere you look, it feels like everyone is talking about mental health: The suicide hotline number on the back of every student ID, mental health posters all over the school, and the news talking about it.
The world seems to be in a buzz about mental health, especially targeted at teens, and maybe for good reason. According to the CDC, “40% [of high school] students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.” While 20% of students are “seriously considering attempting suicide.”
This increase in hopeless feelings isn’t something to be taken lightly. A lack of hope for the future can be detrimental to one’s health. There are many uncertainties that younger generations, particularly Gen Z, are facing in their lives right now. Social media, economics, politics, and pressures for others leave many people feeling out of place and uncertain about their future. Without hope for the future, many people start to give up on trying to improve, letting their living situations fall short of the best standards they can achieve. With no hope for the future, it leaves people questioning the point of anything.
Social media has seen a rise in recent years, growing in popularity as more and more people strive for the extra connection, information, and entertainment that apps like Instagram, TikTok, X, and more can provide. And although social media can have many benefits, there is a downside to it as well.
Constant exposure to other people’s lives can be damaging to mental health. People are susceptible to comparing themselves to others, whether it be their looks, life, or achievements. This especially affects adolescents, more specifically, younger girls. Social media is often unrealistic and set to high standards, which can skew people’s perceptions of what life should actually look like.
Social media often brings with it information about news, current events, and the harsher parts of life. Although this can be a good thing at times, people can find themselves swamped in a feed filled with depressing news and hateful content. Many social media platforms push more upsetting content onto algorithms, and the lighter, more positive content gets snuffed out in the process. Hateful content is more likely to get engaged with, meaning the company makes more money, meaning more people are overexposed to mentally damaging news daily.
The news on social media can be stressful for many reasons. It’s not difficult to go on the internet and find someone talking about some miserable news about the current economy, how tariffs are making prices rise, how the minimum wage is at an all-time low, or something else.
In 2015, $20 seemed to stretch a lot farther than it does today, and it did. Inflation has increased by 3.15% in the past ten years. That $20 is now equivalent to $27.26, almost a ten-dollar increase. Despite the increase in prices, the minimum wage has stayed the same since 2009. Most Americans struggle to afford the basic cost of living, with 67% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck in 2025.
Many people feel hopeless for the future, worried that they won’t be able to afford the necessities of life. According to a study done by Junior Achievement USA, “more than half (54%) of teens say they feel unprepared to finance their futures.” And 78% of college students claim finances cause harm to their mental health.
Finances and social media aren’t the only reasons teens’ mental health is on the decline. For many groups in the US, safety and politics are other concerns for the future. A lot of people fear for their future, worrying that they might not be in a safe place. Things like anti-transgender legislation and ICE raids leave many people in America questioning if they have a safe place.
One of the most important parts of helping to manage stress is identifying what stresses you out. If you can learn the cause of the problem, you can learn to solve it.
“I think that the biggest stressor for students is their friends. So many things change in high school because students get involved in different activities, sports, clubs, and classes, which enables them to be around different people. This could change their friend groups and cause drama or hurt feelings,” Brooke Mathews, the counselor at Hallettsville High School, said.
You must take time to take care of yourself and reduce the stress in your life.
“Limiting time on social media is one way to decompress,” Mathews said.
It is also important to take care of your physical body to improve mental health.
“I think the best way to take care of your mental health is to spend time outside. Being in the fresh air, whether you’re walking, gardening, reading, or being active, is really important,” Mathews said.
There are many ways to deal with mental health struggles to make yourself feel better. One thing you can do to help yourself is to stay positive. If you keep a positive attitude toward life, you will subconsciously look for the brighter side of things. Taking care of your physical health is also important. When your body is healthy, you become healthier mentally. It is also important that you stay active socially. It is good to stay connected with people you care about because social interactions help with mental health.
Roughly 727,000 people take their own lives each year, an even larger number than that make unsuccessful attempts. In 2021, one of the top causes of death in ages 15-29 was suicide. September is suicide prevention month, a time to remember all the lives lost, and all the lives we have to look forward to, and to remember to take time for yourself and others. Always remember you matter, and that it’s important to stay positive.
