Outlook Bright

Boys & Girls Clubs of America surveys show happier, healthier and kinder children.

A pair of new surveys conducted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America reveal a generation of kids happier, healthier and kinder than some might think, even as they face the challenges of the 2020s. 

According to the Youth Right Now survey of more than 140,000 young Americans ages 9 to 18, and the Youth Right Now Teen & Tween Spotlight survey of nearly 3,000 American kids ages 10 to 18, more than a third (33 percent) said mental health was their top concern, followed by freedom of speech at 24 percent, racial justice at 21 percent, women’s rights at 20 percent and community violence at 20 percent. 

Kids also reported always or often feeling happy (72 percent), motivated (61 percent) and hopeful (61 percent), and believe their generation will make the most difference in mental health (23 percent), LGBTQ+ issues (17 percent), freedom of speech (15 percent), climate change (15 percent) and community violence (15 percent). 

While no survey is perfect, the two do provide a snapshot of real feelings for at least a segment of kids in the U.S. in 2024. 

Among other results, 18 percent said they have been cyberbullied in the past 12 months, and a little less than half of them told an adult about it. But results might also imply a fortitude and independence in American kids many parents hope their children possess. Eighty percent said they know how to calm themselves down, 92 percent try to figure how to do better when things go wrong and 80 percent will talk with someone to understand what has happened — along the same lines, about three quarters say they will talk to adults when they have a problem with their peers. Also, 93 percent said they can work with people different than themselves, 85 percent have done things to help others and 94 percent try to help when they see people in need. 

Kids are thinking about their future, too. The survey found 74 percent of youth ages 9-12 intend to go to college, with 17 percent of high school students expecting to attend a vocational school, two-year community college, tech college or a career prep program. Meanwhile, 89 percent of high school seniors have already applied to post-secondary education, with 75 percent applying to a four-year college or university. In another encouraging sign, 79 percent say they would like to study more STEM topics. 

“This survey mirrors what I have seen in my practice,” says Michael Uram, Orange County licensed marriage and family therapist and author. “Mental Health has much less stigma than 10 years ago. I am hopeful this trend to talk to their friends and adults about emotions continues. The survey also highlights the resilience and optimism that kids feel despite facing significant challenges in the world.”

UC Irvine professor and clinical psychologist Jessica Borelli was cautiously optimistic in her views of the survey. While noting Boys & Girls Club members do not represent a wide enough swath of American kids, and that it “relied completely on self-report data,” which is not complete enough to provide a scientifically accurate picture, Borelli was encouraged by how many expected to go to college, and their regard for what they are learning. 

“I was also encouraged by the data suggesting the majority of youth feel they can go to adults with important issues in their lives,” Borelli says. “In my work with families, I have noticed that parents often dismiss what happens on social media, and I wonder if this makes youth feel they can’t share with their parents. When I work with parents, I try to help them understand social media is as important — sometimes more important — as what happens in person.”

Uram loved “how everyone knows that breathing helps. This hasn’t always been the case. I think everyone should have about five techniques, but I am happy that most people now have at least one.”

However, Uram was discouraged by the amount of cyberbullying. “I have heard so many stories of teens being treated horribly online. Sadly, I see this trend increasing. There is very little accountability for it, so it continues well beyond when in-person bullying would stop. Most local police departments decline to investigate it due to it being out of their jurisdiction. School administrators lack the tools or time to properly investigate it. Students often have their screen time limited by their parents when they disclose it, so they hide it. Most of the factors that increase cyberbullying are getting worse. The companies that run the online platforms have had little effort, let alone success addressing it. The cyberbullies themselves lack the tools and resources to address why they are doing it to begin with. Most importantly, there are very few surveys that even look into this issue.” 

Borelli found the data gives a mixed picture in how this generation compared to others she’s worked with. 

“The percentage of youth who say they are feeling worry or anxiety is high compared to prior generations,” she says. “At the same time, the majority of youth report feeling they have the tools to come up with solutions to solve problems when they occur. The percentage of youth who have tried substances is low, and mirrors other data that has emerged in recent years.” 

Borelli was also concerned about how many said they give up on things they don’t immediately understand “and echoes trends people are seeing in young adults in college and early employment stages, specifically, reductions in the ability to persist at tasks that require figuring things out on one’s own.” 

Uram was optimistic about the “overall decrease in substance abuse, except for the rise in vaping. It is encouraging most teens are using alcohol and marijuana much less often than previous generations. I hope this is due to using drugs and alcohol less to cope with overwhelming emotions.” 

Borelli contrasted that view, saying “on the whole, this generation seems more avoidant and fearful to me. They play it safe — they are unlikely to experiment with substances or to engage in sexual activity and they shy away from challenging learning experiences. They have trouble taking on difficult tasks, such as learning that is too challenging. The survey did not inquire about driving, but I suspect that remarkably few of the youth had obtained driver’s licenses, mirroring other data that have been reported. Likewise, although not asked about in this survey, other data suggest that this generation of youth is far less likely to socialize outside of the home than in prior generations. These findings are in line with a general trend of an elongated period of dependence on caregivers and an avoidance of risk.

“This generation of youth contends with different challenges than those that preceded it. By and large, this is not a generation of youth who are risk takers that need to be heavily disciplined with strict curfews, but rather a generation who could benefit from parenting that encourages the development of autonomy. Building up the ability to withstand stress, to push through the discomfort of not knowing, is an important and teachable skill. Parents can help support the development of this skill by pulling back in the support they give their children and by encouraging their children to be more independent.

“This is the generation who experienced the pandemic during elementary and middle school. It is heartening to learn that on the whole, they are optimistic about their future and that of the world.”

Uram agrees, “Our kids are much more aware than we usually give them credit for. Maybe we can learn a few things from our teens’ optimism, resilience and planning skills.

“It tells me that if we continue to listen to kids, we can decrease the intense mental health challenges they face as a community and in our own families. We need to decrease the cost of college, increase the amount of time parents are home to spend quality time with their kids, increase kids’ engagement with career planning and decrease academic burnout to continue to have teens and tweens optimistically view their future.”  

By Shawn Price