{"id":26487,"date":"2023-05-15T07:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T07:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=26487"},"modified":"2025-12-05T18:35:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T18:35:04","slug":"teen-girls-in-crisis-what-parents-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/teen-girls-in-crisis-what-parents-can-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Teen girls\u2019 mental health at risk \u2014 what can parents do?","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Teen girls are in distress \u2014 that\u2019s the bottom line from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report released in February 2023<\/a>. The report analyzes recent data as well as trends over a 10-year period about adolescent health and well-being.<\/p>\n

In 2021, nearly 60 percent of female high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless, and almost 25 percent had made a suicide plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, these results weren\u2019t surprising at all,\u201d says Kianna Carter, LICSW, supervisor of the youth engagement services (YES) program<\/a> at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children\u2019s. \u201cThey line up with what we\u2019re seeing in the community and in our emergency departments \u2014 behavioral health concerns among teen girls are rampant.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s fueling the mental health crisis among teen girls?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many factors may be driving this crisis, including unprecedented rates of violence. Almost 20 percent of female students experienced sexual violence in the past year, according to the report.<\/p>\n

Another likely culprit of this uptick in mental health concerns is social isolation, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cA sense of connectedness is critical for teen development, and unfortunately we have a whole generation of kids who were socially isolated for an extended period, and now we\u2019re seeing the repercussions of that,\u201d Carter says.<\/p>\n

While stay-at-home orders and school closures are in our rearview, teens emerged from those experiences to a social landscape that was permanently altered.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven after schools reopened to in-person learning, the sense of disconnection and lack of belonging many teen girls felt has persisted,\u201d says Sally McDaniel, LMHC, LMFT, SUDP, CMHS, clinical manager of Child & Family Services at Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare<\/a>, part of the MultiCare Behavioral Health Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Teen girls used to socialize in person more often \u2014 visit each other\u2019s houses, go to the movies or another location to spend time together \u2014 but this isn\u2019t as frequent as it used to be, says McDaniel.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany teens who are struggling rarely interact in person with friends outside of school,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Instead, teens are interacting with peers online via social media, which likely has its own role in this crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media often gives teens this distorted sense of reality,\u201d McDaniel says. \u201cThey\u2019re connected to people online perhaps, but the relationships often aren\u2019t genuine, and they don\u2019t know how to put the content they\u2019re seeing into perspective, which can harm their self-esteem.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2019 study published in The Lancet<\/a> noted an association between social media use and symptoms of depression among teens, and it was stronger for girls than boys.<\/p>\n

While the news about teen girls\u2019 mental health may be alarming, there are actions we can take to better support them \u2014 and teens of any gender.<\/p>\n

Strengthen the parent-teen relationship<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Teens feeling disconnected from peers may also feel disconnected from their caregivers. How do parents foster a deep, meaningful relationship with teens?<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving conversations where teens can be vulnerable shows them that their feelings and experiences matter, which does a world of good.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

McDaniel suggests aiming for short but frequent quality interactions where there isn\u2019t pressure to talk about serious topics \u2014 the goal is just to spend time together.<\/p>\n

For example, you might go to brunch on the weekend or take a walk. It could also be as simple as asking teens to keep you company on an errand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s often during these low-stakes interactions that teens may feel comfortable opening up about what\u2019s going on in their lives,\u201d McDaniel says.<\/p>\n

She also emphasizes the importance of communicating love, not only in words but through actions, which sometimes speak louder than words with teens.<\/p>\n

\u201cShow your love by finding out what actions teens value most \u2014 whether that\u2019s offering to help them with a difficult homework assignment or simply making their favorite meal \u2014 and make these efforts part of your routine,\u201d McDaniel says.<\/p>\n

Have frequent discussions about social media use<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A 2022 Pew Research Center study<\/a> found that 35 percent of teens use at least one of the five following platforms \u201calmost constantly\u201d: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. However, this constant use doesn\u2019t mean they understand how social media is affecting their health.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdults need to have regular, candid discussions about social media use with their children,\u201d Carter says. \u201cYou likely won\u2019t be able to shift a concerning behavior in a single conversation, but the goal is to plant a seed and constantly come back to water that seed, bringing awareness to social media habits over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

To start the conversation, she recommends asking teens:<\/p>\n