Anxiety: Youth Mental Health and Digital Media

We’ve all seen the news: rates of anxiety and depression in adolescents have reached alarmingly high levels in recent years. What relationship does digital media use have with anxiety disorders in youth? What are the risk factors for developing anxiety, and what prevention and intervention strategies can parents, caregivers, educators, and clinicians employ to help children build resilience to online and offline stressors?

Children and Screens hosted the “Ask The Experts” webinar “Anxiety: Youth Mental Health and Digital Media” on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the first in a set of webinars investigating two of the most common mental health struggles of youth today: anxiety and depression.  A panel of clinical psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and other experts in anxiety disorders shared clinical insights and research on the prevalence of youth anxiety and how digital media use may be contributing to it, as well as tips on how adults can support the children in their lives who may be suffering – or at risk of developing – anxiety.