Teen depression is on the rise across this country. This has been a major concern for schools and administrators who are trying to nip this problem in the bud. There are many possible causes for this rise; here are some of what researchers are suggesting.

One possible cause that is gaining more and more attention is cell phones and social media’s role in students lives. The organization Save The Kids has been collecting research and supporting this idea. Some of the research they show could support this narrative as the increase in time on social media has correlated with the rise of teen depression. They claim that by lowering screen time and limiting social media consumption depression would decrease and teens would be happier.

Another possibility for this increase could be the increase of stress in school from classes and homework. This has been backed up by a Stanford study in 2014 which showed students who spend more than two hours on homework a night experienced a significant rise in depression. Other reputable institutions show that a majority of students find homework a major cause of stress. Many that agree with this assertion believe that by lowering classroom workload or by giving students more resources stress and depression decrease.  

Some pediatricians from The American Academy of Pediatrics last year said a major concern is access to mental health care. They cited a 2017 study which showed that less than 4 out of 10 students at risk of suicidal thoughts and other signs of severe depression are getting the care they need. Some from this organization claim that increased funding for mental health care and increased awareness and openness to therapy could help this issue.

All of these positions and there are more that haven’t been listed of course have at least some scientific data to backup their positions.

This issue is becoming more and more prevalent everyday, but hopefully things will get better. For example CFISD has as of this year hired more mental health and counseling staff for district wide advising, and plans to hire more.