Editorial: Help young people with mental stress

On Tuesday, the news from the nation’s top doctor was dire. The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, announced his professional concern about a mental health crisis confronting America’s youth, one that has been years in the building but was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is a recognition that young people “struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression and thoughts of suicide, and that rates have increased over the past decade,” Murthy said in an announcement issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The pandemic added to the disruption and anxiety,”and the effect on their mental health has been devastating,” he said.

What’s worse, many of the adults most concerned with their well-being — parents, families, teachers, health professionals — may share some of that sense of helplessness to change new social realities.

They shouldn’t give in to that, according to “Protecting Youth Mental Health,” a 53-page advisory report by the Office of the Surgeon General. The report includes wide-ranging suggestions for ways for adults, and for young people themselves, to counter these negative trends.

One set of proposals that seemed particularly relevant the week it was published was addressed to the leadership of social media companies. Adam Mosseri, CEO of the app Instagram, got a bipartisan grilling on Wednesday from the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security.

Its sister company, Facebook, had been hit with similar criticisms in Congress, following whistleblower reports about social media; questions also have been aimed at Twitter and Google executives.

The concern centers on the companies’ calculated efforts to strengthen their lure to youths and, with an eye on advertising profits, keep them scrolling through the sites. The impact on adolescent body image and emotional well-being can be disastrous.

Mosseri said Instagram planned to roll out new features to improve safety, including parental controls. Committee members weren’t persuaded by such self-policing pledges, so regulation is still on the Capitol Hill agenda. The rationale for oversight is there, but developing federal rules that are enforceable will be challenging.

The surgeon general recommends a broader strategy for government — local and federal — including the assurance of mental health care for youth and addressing economic and social barriers confronted by families and caregivers.

Everyone has a part to play. Among the ideas listed in the report:

>> Social media companies should prioritize user health and safety, “even at the expense of engagement, scale, and profit.” That’s essential: Most of what companies have proposed so far have been workaround and not the “material and measurable steps to prevent and mitigate these harms,” as the report states.

>> Family members are urged to “encourage children and youth to build health social relationships with peers, through self-directed play as well as structured activities.

>> Provide keiki with a stable and predictable daily schedule, and limit their exposure to violence. This provides an underlying sense of security.

>> Look for warning signs of distress, such as irritability, anger and withdrawal. Reach out to doctors or other trained professionals in the community for help.

>> Kids themselves can learn how to manage difficult emotions. If scrolling through news and social media is stressful, step away from that.

All of the above surely sounds like basic parenting and caregiving, but it’s restoring such basics and supports that children plainly need. They have put out a cry for help. Those who love them must answer.