One in seven 10-19 year olds struggle with a serious mental health disorder that negatively impacts their day to day life according to the American Psychological Association. 

 According to the statistics, it’s likely to be someone you see daily. A shocking study by the American Psychology Association discovered that 13% of youth have experienced serious thoughts of killing themselves as well, compared to 5% of adults. This is worrying because, over the past years, this number has only grown. In fact, according to the CDC, in the United States, 49,300 people committed suicide in 2023 compared to 38,364 in 2010. Even in our home state of Colorado, 1.29 thousand people have died by suicide in the past 50 years, according to USA Facts.

So, why is this happening?

“Anything can really impact mental health. It can be family things, maybe pressure at home, pressure from friends or really anything,” counselor Makensie Carson said.

“Cultural trends in the last 10 years may have had a larger effect on mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes among younger generations compared with older generations,” Dr. Jean Twenge, PHD, said in an interview with the American Psychological Association. 

The last decade has been a decade of lots of change and growth for us as a society. The world has become a very different place. Information is now more widely available, and with the rise of free information, everyone is now more exposed to events happening all around the world because of online newspapers and social media. The first social media was called Six Degrees in 1997, which was about 28 years ago.

Today, there are many sites that people use. In the United States, we use apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, but around the world, there are about 400 social media outlets.

“The world is a very stressful place, and kids today are exposed to so much more,” Carson said.

In the last decade, as a society, we have experienced the rise of social media and new trends that can harm the viewer’s psyche. Although some internet trends were great, like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which brought awareness to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and those diagnosed. However, many other trends were very dangerous. For example, the Tide pod challenge sent 37 children to the hospital, according to a study from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“Participating in these trends and getting views or comments helps people feel like they belong because they’re doing what everyone else is,” Eileen Shin ‘28 said.

Additionally, body insecurities can also stem from new trends. One of these trends is “looksmaxxing”. On the surface, it seems to be about maximising your looks. The main audience for this trend is young men. Looksmaxxing is changing your face. Some people who follow the trend only do facial exercises to change their face. However, the harmful side, according to The Guardian, is where people will take a hammer to their face and break their bones, thinking that their bones will grow back in a way that will make them more attractive, 

Looksmaxing might be one of the most extreme trends, but other trends are still harmful. For example, the glass skin trend, which was to make your skin look smooth and clear like glass, or having ‘hunter eyes’, which is a specific eye shape that is supposed to make you more attractive. All of these trends can negatively affect people’s mental health because of the constant comparison.

“I think social media can definitely affect mental health; some can create unhealthy beauty standards and encourage or romanticize harmful behavior,” Delilah Strickland ‘27 said.

Avery Hackert offers a similar take on the subject.

“I think teenagers have a lot of pressure on them with social media and everything. They’re expected to act like adults, but treated like children,” Hackert ‘28 said.

It’s not just social media, though; other pressures can affect your mental health as well. Things like peer pressure or pressure from your family can harm your mental health, too.

“Anything can impact your mental health. It can be family things or pressure from your friends,” Carson said.

Overall, mental health is an important part of people’s health, and though there is now more awareness, we still have a ways to go. Eventually, mental health in the world might start to get better. But as of right now, that’s not the case. What we can all do is make sure our friends and family know that they can talk about their feelings. 

We can help in numerous ways, including asking them how they’re feeling, encouraging them to hang out with you, or just letting them know that you care about them.

There are so many ways we can help our friends and family. Unfortunately, sometimes we won’t know if they need our help until it’s too late.