New Research Shows California Parents Want A Comprehensive Approach To Solving The Youth Mental Health Challenge
New Survey and Focus Group Series Underscores Parents’ Worries About Youth Mental Health and Desire for a Multifaceted Approach to the Challenge
For Immediate Release
May 21, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC — The Coalition to Empower our Future today released new research showing that parents in California are concerned about the state of youth mental health and wellbeing, feel there are many factors driving the issue, and are seeking a multifaceted approach that includes tools and resources to help them support their kids.
Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Coalition conducted conversations with parents across California to discuss the state of youth mental health and wellbeing. It also surveyed 600 parents in California in partnership with Mercury Analytics. The findings underscore widespread support – more than 80 percent – for a comprehensive approach to addressing youth mental health.
“Our kids are growing up in a world that demands more from them than ever before, and California families are feeling the weight,” said Glen Weiner, executive director of the Coalition to Empower our Future. “Children are navigating stress and anxiety, and parents are doing their best to help without enough resources or support. This moment reveals the urgency of understanding the complexities of the challenges our kids face and approaching them with comprehensive solutions.”
The vast majority of parents surveyed agree that youth mental health is deteriorating and is unlikely to improve without intervention. Parents believe that a range of issues are contributing to the youth mental health challenge—including bullying, early childhood abuse, social media, drugs and alcohol abuse, and more—and expressed in conversations that a broad range of solutions and approaches is essential.
California parents shared their insights into mental health struggles faced by their children:
- “Mental health is worse. I work at a middle school, and I see a lot of these kids.”
- “There’s more than one thing wrong with youth mental health.”
- “We need to figure out some type of balance because technology is here to stay and there’s a lot of ways it’s helpful as well. We need a balanced approach.”
The research also revealed that many parents feel responsible for youth mental health, and they are trying to provide their kids with the support systems they need but report they have trouble finding the right tools and resources. The survey findings emphasize the complexity of the issue and need for ongoing dialogue and collaboration between families, educators, and community members.
The full California research findings can be found HERE.
About the Coalition to Empower our Future
Coalition to Empower our Future is a newly formed organization bringing together a range of voices to fully inform solutions that empower youth, parents, communities and society. The Coalition to Empower our Future supports solutions that are inclusive of the full spectrum of factors impacting youth mental health. Former Montana Governor Steve Bullock, former assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Family Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services January Contreras, and former U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo serve on the board of directors of the Coalition to Empower our Future. Dr. Caroline Carney, a board-certified psychiatrist and internist, is a health executive and clinician who serves as an expert advisor to the coalition.
To learn more, visit empowerourfuturecoalition.com or follow Coalition to Empower our Future on Facebook, X and YouTube.
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