One Parent’s Perspective: Back-to-School Time Highlights Full Picture of Youth Mental Health

By Glen Weiner
August 2026

This post is part of the “One Parent’s Perspective” blog series in which I explore topics related to youth mental health and wellbeing. I share my perspective as a parent and in my role leading the Coalition to Empower our Future (CEF), including what I learn from my own experiences as well as conversations with experts, educators and young people themselves.

After a summer away at camp, my kids are getting ready to head back to school. For our family, this transition brings a familiar mix of excitement and anxiety. There’s the excitement of reconnecting with friends, meeting teachers and restarting fun activities. But we also know what comes next: early mornings, homework, tests, practices, packed calendars and all of the social dynamics that come with being a kid today.

Camp has a way of simplifying things. My kids spend more time outside, build friendships, try new activities and experience a little more independence. Returning home and back to school means returning to a more complicated environment.

There will be both academic and peer pressure along with sports, clubs and other activities competing for their time. They’ll face moments when they feel included and others when they worry about being left out, and days when they are exhausted, frustrated or overwhelmed. And, there’s also the challenge of balancing their use of technology and devices. 

However, that last factor seems to be receiving an outsized share of the attention right now. Turn on the news or follow the policy debate, and it can sometimes feel as though we have identified the central cause of the youth mental health challenge by focusing on phones and social media. The current national conversation would suggest that once we identify the cause, we can solve the problem with a simple policy solution, such as an overarching ban.

As a parent, I understand the appeal. But I also know that my kids’ mental health is not determined by one factor and cannot be solved with one quick fix. The experience of raising children makes that clear every day. Technology is part of that picture, but it is not the entire picture. A difficult week at school can affect a child’s mood. A disagreement with a friend can matter enormously. Too many activities can leave a child exhausted. A good night’s sleep, time outdoors, a supportive teacher or an honest conversation with a parent can make a meaningful difference.

The research increasingly reinforces what parents see in real life. Recent reporting and analysis have raised concerns about the possible unintended consequences of the broad bans being implemented around the globe and being considered here in the United States. Researchers point out that these bans affect different kids in very different ways, further marginalizing those who may already feel marginalized. Bans could drive young people toward harder-to-monitor online spaces. And perhaps most problematic, they leave all the other underlying problems untouched. 

There is also a practical question: What happens after the ban? If we simply take something away without teaching kids how to navigate the world they actually live in, have we solved the problem or just postponed it?

CEF’s own research points to the same conclusion. Seven-in-10 voters and roughly three-quarters of parents believe banning or heavily restricting youth access to phones and technology could have unintended consequences. Nearly three-quarters of voters and parents say a comprehensive approach is better than focusing on a single factor. 

That feels intuitive to me as I watch my kids head back to school.

What they need from us is not a narrow approach to a complex challenge. They need support, boundaries, trusted adults, healthy relationships, time to unplug, opportunities to play and be outside, access to mental health resources and guidance for navigating technology responsibly. They need parents and schools willing to listen when something is wrong.

The start of a new school year is a good reminder that youth mental health is complicated because childhood itself is complicated.

As my kids head back to school, I know there will be challenges. My hope is that we resist the temptation to look for one simple answer and instead focus on the many things we can do together to help our kids thrive.

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