Another Possible Reason for the Rise in Youth Mental Health Issues
Ben points out that the Child Tax Credit was expanded to assist poor families with pandemic-related economic hardships in 2021.
The rate of childhood poverty dropped to historic lows.
Then it went away. And, well, what else would you expect?
According to NPR, “…A year ago, child poverty hit a historic low of 5.2%. The latest figures [a year after the child tax credits expired] put it at 12.4%, the same as the overall poverty rate. The surge happened as record inflation was rising and a lot of pandemic relief was running out, but Census officials and other experts say a key was the child tax credit.”
Shared Links (weekly) Aug. 13 2023
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Social Media: Keep it Positive – Spreading Joy and Uplifting Others
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7 Tips for Addressing Back-to-School Anxiety– It’s that time of year again.
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As Legislation Targeting LGBTQ and BIPOC Youth Increases, We Need to Protect Their Mental Health
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Video Record-breaking heat in South forces millions of Americans to stay indoors– I was just talking about this in the newsletter last week. It’s too hot to be out in nature.
Sharing – Peer-on-Peer Abuse: What can be done when kids hurt kids?
There’s no real difference. I should know. I was sexually abused by an older minor. There was no creepy old man, only an older and bigger kid who threatened me. Someone in my own family. Mall parking lots, school, and our neighborhood park weren’t the places where I was not safe, my family was.
And I had no way to tell anyone, because I wasn’t taught about that being child abuse. Only strange men in white vans giving out candy abused children. Whatever was happening in my family wasn’t to be discussed with anyone. It wasn’t, and it went on for years.
Maybe we should do better with understanding the ways kids abuse other kids, and talking openly about it. The link below can help.
Don’t Get Distracted – Big Problems Require Big Solutions, not Simple Ones
To believe we can solve the teen mental health crisis by forcing kids off social media and doing nothing about all these other things is foolish.
Sharing – The concerning rise of the “Trauma Essay”
Jake has concerns, and I think we should be concerned about this. “High school students are being encouraged to write about their struggles, hardships, and traumatic life experiences in order to be admitted into college & university. This therapist has some concerns.” Writing about trauma can be beneficial. I’ve always encouraged people to talk and…