New Research Shows New York 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 New York 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 New York to discuss the state of youth mental health and wellbeing. It also surveyed 600 parents in New York in partnership with Mercury Analytics. The findings underscore widespread support – 83 percent – for a comprehensive approach to addressing youth mental health.
“As a parent and a New Yorker, I see firsthand the complexity of the pressures and strains that young people and their families are navigating today,” said Glen Weiner, executive director of the Coalition to Empower our Future. “Families are doing everything they can, but every kid’s experience is unique and too often parents are left without the tools or support they need. What we’re seeing isn’t just a temporary challenge – nor is it a simple one. To have a shot at solving the youth mental health challenge, we need to have a conversation about the multitude of factors driving youth mental health and invest in holistic 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 broad range of issues are contributing to the youth mental health challenge—including bullying, early childhood abuse, social media, drugs and alcohol abuse, instability at home, and more—and expressed in conversations that a broad range of solutions and approaches is essential.
New York parents shared their insights into mental health struggles faced by their children:
- “There’s multiple issues. [Kids are] dealing with social media, the pandemic, and the affairs in our country and the world right now.”
- “It’s not a one size fits all type of situation. There’s a lot of issues, whether it be addiction to devices, bullying on social media, or problems such as ADHD and things like that.”
- “I generally think we need a comprehensive solution to address this problem. Everyone’s situation is different. Somebody mentioned the school, but I think it also starts in the home and the community. It’s a multiple-tiered 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 New York 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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