ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul's office released key findings of a summary report of the Youth Listening Tour amid an "urgent" youth mental health crisis.
The Youth Listening Tour was held in the spring of this year to hold listening sessions aimed at "exploring the issues impacting the mental health of youth throughout New York State."
"As New York State's first female governor and the only mother to hold this office, I'm deeply disturbed by recent reports on instances of teen depression, especially following the isolation and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic," Hochul said back in the spring.
The Summit on Youth Mental Health met with leaders, experts, and the youth themselves to discuss the findings.
The summary report explored themes such as the impact of the pandemic, the the benefits and risks of social media, the development of interpersonal skills, among many other topics.
Several youth recommendations were made at the summit. These included investing in community based resources for recreation and mental wellness promotion, youth vetted training on navigating social media, and low-cost mental health resources.
This all comes at a time when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new data today that showed suicide rates for the 10-24 age group reached a 20-year-high in 2021.
Hochul launched these new initiatives when she hosted the first listening sessions with teenagers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Teens from New York City schools discussed how the pandemic impacted their mental health, social media, and ways to promote mental well-being among students and youth.
"The isolation and uncertainty we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact young people, who navigated key developmental milestones during this unstable time," Hochul said. "The era of ignoring and underinvesting in mental health is over."
Many professionals and experts spoke at the Youth Listening Tour and the summit. Among those is Dr. Mitch Prinstein, a Chief Science Officer at the American Psychological Association. Prinstein sees a positive outlook in Hochul's approach to the crisis.
"In the face of a youth mental health crisis, New York State and Governor Hochul are leading the nation with an ambitious agenda to keep youth safe and healthy," Prinstein said. "Today represents a major step forward."
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