"After a more than 60% increase in youth suicide rates from 2007 to their peak in 2021, the latest CDC data shows a hopeful shift with suicide rates among 10‑ to 24‑year‑olds declining in 2022, 2023, and again in 2024. But even with this progress, rates remain far higher than they were a generation ago, and young people continue to report unprecedented levels of anxiety, loneliness, and financial stress."
"These numbers represent real lives. I've seen it up close-in the team member who needs a manager to just check in, in the technician who lights up when someone invests in their growth. Their well‑being matters not only because every life has value, but because our country needs their talent, energy, and ideas. And yet too many are struggling to find connection, purpose, and stability."
"I'm not a therapist or a policymaker. But I am someone who employs thousands of young Americans, and I've come to believe that businesses like mine can't sit this one out. Employers who hire large numbers of young workers have a unique opportunity-and a responsibility. By creating meaningful pathways for growth and fostering communities of belonging, we can help strengthen pride, purpose, and resilience in a generation that needs it."
"The mental health challenges facing young people today didn't emerge in a vacuum. Over the past two decades, the rise of social media has reshaped how young people connect, compare, and understand themselves. The CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that frequent social media use is associated with significantly higher levels of persistent sadness and hopelessness among high school stude"
Youth suicide rates rose sharply from 2007 to a peak in 2021, then declined among 10- to 24-year-olds in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Rates are still much higher than a generation ago, while young people report unprecedented anxiety, loneliness, and financial stress. These challenges affect real workers, including those who need frequent check-ins and those who thrive when their growth is supported. Businesses that employ many young people have an opportunity and responsibility to build meaningful pathways for development and foster communities of belonging. Social media over the past two decades has changed how young people connect and compare themselves, and CDC survey findings link frequent social media use with higher levels of persistent sadness and hopelessness.
#youth-mental-health #suicide-rates #workforce-development #social-media-impact #workplace-belonging
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