Federal Lawmakers Shift From Crisis Response to Proactive Care to Tackle Youth Mental Health

Why tackling the child and teen mental health crisis has become a bipartisan policy priority

by OLIVIA ROCKEMAN

All children and teens experience a wide range of emotions as they grow up. Some feel occasional stress about school or friendships, and others lose interest in hobbies or activities over time. But today, more young people are facing persistent anxiety and depression, so much so that the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared a national emergency in youth mental health.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 40% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023, up by over 30% from a decade earlier. A separate survey from the National Survey of Children’s Health found that one in three children ages 12 to 17 had a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problem between 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, the suicide rate among young people has accelerated in recent decades, particularly among girls, according to a 2024  study published in JAMA.

The mental health crisis extends to younger children as well. Half of all lifetime mood and substance abuse disorder cases start by age 14, according to a study by Harvard Medical School researchers.

Members of Congress — themselves parents and grandparents — are hearing growing concerns from constituents about the mental health of America’s youth. The issue is galvanizing families and lawmakers across political, geographic, and socioeconomic lines.

In addition to its emotional impact on families nationwide, mental health issues among children have implications for labor markets, family finances, and the broader health care system. For one, pediatric mental health conditions were associated with $59 billion in household spending and made up nearly half of all pediatric medical spending in 2021, according to a recent study by researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Mental health conditions that begin at a young age and go untreated can also impact the economic futures of America’s children and teens. One consequence is an inability to study or work with regularity in adulthood. Workers with fair or poor mental health are estimated to have five times as many unplanned absences as other workers. Missed work is estimated to cost the economy $47.6 billion annually in lost productivity, according to data from Gallup, a global analytics and advisory firm.

These broad concerns have lawmakers taking bipartisan action to strengthen mental health support for young Americans, reflecting a broad national recognition that the crisis demands urgent, collective action.

“This is not a red issue or a blue issue, it’s an American issue that we have to deal with shoulder to shoulder,” Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) said in June.

In May, Britt, a mother of two teenagers, and Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), a father of three, reintroduced the bipartisan Stop the Scroll Act, which aims to raise awareness of the risks social media poses to mental health.

Social media regulation is one avenue for addressing mental health concerns, particularly for adolescents. Research published in JAMA shows that social media use is linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem among teenagers. Excessive screen time and disrupted sleep patterns associated with social media contribute to declines in teen mental health, according to a Pew Research Center survey. A 2023 study by researchers at Iowa State University found that limiting daily social media use can significantly enhance the mental health of young adults.

In May, Britt, a mother of two teenagers, and Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), a father of three, reintroduced the bipartisan Stop the Scroll Act, which aims to raise awareness of the risks social media poses to mental health. A month later, Senator Jon Husted (R-OH), who raised three children and is a grandfather, and Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who has two step-daughters, joined their colleagues in co-sponsoring the legislation.

The legislation would require social media and content-sharing platforms to display visible warning labels, which would notify users of potential mental-health risks and provide access to federal mental-health resources. Users would have to acknowledge the warning or exit the site before proceeding. Enforcement would fall to the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, with violations treated as unfair or deceptive practices under existing FTC law.

“Every child deserves the chance to live their own personal American Dream, but our nation’s youth mental health crisis is getting in the way for far too many,” Britt said in a press release announcing the bill. “Equipped with the knowledge of the dangers [of social media] and empowered with the resources to address it, this simple solution will help parents and kids thrive.”

“As a senator, but more importantly, as a dad to three young kids, I feel a duty to address how dangerous unchecked social media can be for our mental health,” Fetterman said when the bill was introduced. “This bill will help kids and parents alike take control of their social media use, not the other way around.”

Such warning labels have the potential to prevent use by increasing risk awareness and activating cognitive processes associated with health-related decision-making. Research on cigarette warnings published in Tobacco Control shows that such labels can elicit emotional responses, enhance message recall, and reduce the appeal of harmful behaviors or substances. While social media companies, online platforms, and free speech organizations warn of overregulation, advocates say these measures mark a critical step toward holding social media accountable for its impact on young minds.

State lawmakers also see social media regulation as an important piece of the mental health puzzle. Connecticut passed a law in 2023 that requires platforms to gain parental consent for users under 16. A year later, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, and Utah also implemented new social media rules for minors. Utah, for instance, requires social media companies to offer tools like time limits and mandatory breaks to oversee minor accounts, while Maryland’s “Kids Code” bans personalized content for users under 16.

Another avenue for addressing mental health is through increased funding for medical care and prevention services. In February, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives August Pfluger (R-TX), Kathy Castor (D-FL), John Joyce (R-PA), and Kim Schrier (D-WA) introduced the bipartisan Early Action and Responsiveness Lifts Youth (EARLY) Minds Act, which is focused on expanding early detection and treatment of mental health disorders through the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG).

MHBG is a federal program that provides funds to states for comprehensive community-based mental health services for children and adults with serious mental illnesses. In 2024, the Department of Health & Human Services allocated a total of $955 million to the program. The grants — which differ in value depending on the state’s population size and other factors — are typically used for services like outpatient and emergency care, housing, and case management.

The EARLY Minds legislation would require states to use 5% of their MHBG funds for early intervention services for youth, an effort to support patients well before mental health challenges escalate. The provisions in the EARLY Minds Act closely match other spending requirements tacked on to MHBG funds. Currently, a mandatory 5% of the total grant must be used for evidence-based crisis care programs, and 10% is for individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis.

The EARLY Minds Act could help address the fact that about half of young people with mental health disorders don’t get treatment, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

“Proactive early intervention and prevention can dramatically change the trajectory of a child’s life by addressing mental health issues before they escalate,” Matthew Cook, Chief Executive of the Children’s Hospital Association, said in a press release supporting the bill. “The EARLY Minds Act gives states greater flexibility to make resources available for early detection and prevention services like mental health screenings, educational support for parents, and evidence-based interventions for children facing behavioral health challenges.

“We’re seeing a startling number of young Alaskans experiencing mental health crises. Investing in prevention and early intervention will save lives,” Sen. Murkowski said of the bill. “This legislation ensures resources will be allocated to young people in need when it matters most.

“Young people deserve access to mental health services as soon as they need them. But our children are often forced to wait years for an official diagnosis, leaving them without vital mental health support,” said Senator Padilla. “Our bipartisan legislation would address the growing youth mental health crisis by equipping states to provide young people preventative treatment and early intervention services — because no child should have to suffer in silence.”

In Washington, D.C., the new initiatives around social media use and preventative care reflect a shift from crisis response to proactive care — an acknowledgment that treating mental illness early can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. Overall, lawmakers appear more determined than ever to confront a crisis that can no longer be ignored.

“Youth are subjected to challenges today that I wasn’t subjected to,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a sponsor of the EARLY Minds Act, said. “There’s a lot of work to do to hold society accountable for the way that we use social media, there’s a lot of work to do to remove the stigma, and there’s a lot of work that we need to do to get to these kids early and make sure they have [access to] clinical specialists. If we do, we’re going to have a tremendous impact on behavioral health.”