Sharing Parents’ Perspectives on the Road

By Glen Weiner
August 12, 2026

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with local reporters about issues parents care about, including the Coalition to Empower our Future’s new research on youth mental health, technology and the role parents can play in helping young people thrive.

In my interviews, I shared one message that came through loud and clear: parents want solutions that are comprehensive and grounded in the realities families face every day that also avoid the unintended consequences that come from narrow approaches like blanket bans. 

Our research found that parents see a wide range of factors affecting youth mental health, including family stress, social isolation, exposure to violence and over-scheduling. Technology is part of that conversation, but it is not the whole story. In fact, roughly three-quarters of parents support a comprehensive approach to youth mental health rather than focusing on any single factor.

Parents also strongly support helping families build healthy digital habits and improve digital literacy. Around 90 percent of parents agree that young people should be taught how to use emerging technologies, including AI, safely and responsibly. 

As technology evolves, parents are navigating many of the same questions as their children. We should give them the information and practical tools they need to have those conversations, set healthy boundaries and make informed decisions together.

Most importantly, parents should be empowered, not replaced, when it comes to their children’s mental health. Parents know their children best and the majority said they believe kids will always find a way to use technology, with or without their parents’ supervision and whether or not it’s banned. They should have the ability to establish age-appropriate boundaries based on their family’s circumstances and trusted information. They should not be forced into one-size-fits-all solutions or sweeping bans that can have unintended negative consequences. 

My conversations across the country reinforced what this research tells us, families need support not simplistic answers. If we want young people to thrive both online and offline, we need to equip young people, parents, schools and communities with the tools to navigate an increasingly digital world. 

Check out some of my interview highlights here. 

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