Why Are Teens in Crisis? Here’s What the Evidence Says.
About this episode
The central question is why teenagers — especially girls — are in a mental-health crisis, and what the evidence actually supports. Research psychologist Jean Twenge presents the data: beginning around 2012, rates of teen depression, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, with persistent sadness affecting nearly three-fifths of high school girls by 2021. The timing, she argues, points to smartphones and social media as the leading cause, operating through sleep disruption, the displacement of in-person socializing, and relentless social comparison — and the same pattern appears internationally. Alternative explanations like climate anxiety or academic pressure don't fit the timeline. The discussion covers why girls were hit hardest, the political correlates of distress, and solutions: delaying smartphone access, minimum ages for social media, changing the ad-driven business model, and collective rather than individual action.