TYDE’s Bethany Teachman, Nancy Deutsch, and Stefanie Sequeira were invited to write an op-ed piece for the Richmond Times Dispatch. Read the original article here.
Virginia is set to receive $353 million from Meta’s $17 billion settlement with 47 states, Washington D.C., and three U.S. territories. With this decision, the commonwealth has a tremendous opportunity to invest in the health and well-being of our young people.
As educators, parents and developmental and clinical psychologists, we believe that the best way to use these funds is to invest in programs, activities and interventions known to promote healthy youth development. This includes both out-of-school time programs and mental health supports.
Like young people across the country, youth in Virginia have been struggling with their mental health. One third of Virginia’s youth report persistent feelings of sadness, and 27% report that their mental health is not good most of the time. It is tempting to believe that the product redesigns and restrictions that Meta is putting in place as part of the settlement will resolve youth’s mental health struggles. Still, experience and evidence tell us that this alone will not be enough to ensure the health and well-being of children and teens. Young people need places and people whom they can turn to for connection, exploration, play, learning and support. With this settlement, Virginia has an unprecedented window to ensure that every young Virginian has access to such experiences — we must make the most of it.
Out-of-school time programs provide opportunities for young people to learn new skills, explore their talents, connect with peers, develop trusting relationships with supportive adults, and experience a sense of belonging and competence. In-person after-school and summer programs foster positive youth development and play an important role in both promoting positive outcomes and preventing risky behaviors. Yet in Virginia, four out of five families who want after-school programs for their children don’t have access to them. Investment in out-of-school time programs should be part of the spending plan for Virginia’s settlement dollars.
In addition to ensuring that every young person in Virginia has a space in their community where they can go for activities and programs that promote healthy development, we must make sure that youth who are struggling with their mental health have access to effective support and treatment. Virginia ranks 32nd among states for youth mental healthcare. Seventy percent of counties in Virginia don’t have a child or adolescent psychiatrist, and more than half of the schools in Virginia don’t have the minimum recommended levels of school psychologists or social workers. Embedding mental health resources in the places where youth spend their time, including schools and after-school programs, removes barriers to treatment and is an important strategy for increasing access to evidence-based mental health support. At the same time, we know that adding mental health professionals is not enough to meet the tremendous needs and current gap in available treatment. Innovative mental healthcare delivery models, like using evidence-based digital mental health supports and having trained community members who are not mental health professionals (such as coaches, mentors, ‘near peers’ like college students), also provide care, can increase our capacity to help more young people. Part of the settlement funds should go toward mental health resources for children and adolescents, especially in those communities that are most underserved.
Manuel Orbegozo, REUTERS
If we really want to support adolescents’ mental health, we also need to look at the people around them. Almost half of parents report that their stress is overwhelming on most days. We know that parents’ and other caregivers’ mental health can have a big impact on teens’ well-being, so we need to invest in mental health supports for adults too, or teens won’t have the village they need to thrive.
Finally, while it is critical to invest in in-person experiences and supports for youth, we must acknowledge that even with added restrictions, the digital world is here to stay. It is the water most youth (and adults) swim in. Adolescents are not going to stop using social media suddenly, and screens will remain a part of their lives. Therefore, we have to invest in digital well-being programs and evidence-based tools that support mental health and healthier digital habits.
Perhaps most importantly, teens need to be centered in any conversation about how to support their mental health and should have a say in how funds from this settlement are used. They are the experts on their experience and have creative ideas about what can help. We work with hundreds of teens, and they want to figure this out as much as we do.
Youth have needed help for a very long time. We have good research to guide us and, finally, resources.
Let’s not let them down.
