Youth Mental Health
Journalists are producing community-informed, solutions-focused reporting about what's working to create youth mental health.
The Solutions Journalism Network is supporting a range of initiatives and newsrooms to advance coverage of youth mental health topics, aiming to center both the lived experiences of young people and evidence-based responses that support their well-being:
HEAL Fellowship
HEAL Fellows are U.S. journalists reporting on, for and with young people who are facing mental health challenges and healing through innovative community responses.
Student Media Challenge
As part of the 2024-25 Student Media Challenge, student newsrooms are collaborating to cover student mental health through a solutions lens.
College journalists in California are living up to the steep challenges of reporting on mental health. This documentary video highlights Student Media Challenge projects on mental health mounted in the 2023-24 academic year by Pepperdine University, Fresno State University and Dimelo, the student-staffed bilingual news service at the University of Southern California.
Youth Mental Health Video Challenge
Surveys suggest more than three-quarters (77%) of Gen Zers and two-thirds (67%) of millennials rely on social media for their news, while research finds Gen Zers use TikTok as their No. 1 news source.
In spring 2024, to help deliver solutions-focused youth mental health reporting on the platforms young people already use, SJN supported a Youth Mental Health Video Challenge, inviting news organizations to create videos by, for and with young people, complementing their solutions-focused reporting on mental health.
Through PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, students themselves both produced stories and starred in Instagram and TikTok videos about a stress-reducing music and mentorship program, a program connecting young immigrants in “book deserts” to books, a statewide anonymous “tip line” in Oregon where young people report unsafe situations, a teen-created online chat group to talk about mental health struggles and fight loneliness, and more. The team at The Salt Lake Tribune filmed TikToks and reported Q&As with teens on programs connecting young people with horses, supporting counselors in every school district and helping students advocate for their own and their peers’ mental health. And the team at Vngle both supported solutions reporting workshops for young people and created a series of short videos featuring teens sharing their own mechanisms for coping with stress, from meditating and laughing to finding forgiveness to talking about stresses with friends.
The Youth Mental Health Challenge also saw reporting on youth mental health at the intersection of other issues. The team at EarthBeat and National Catholic Reporter highlighted how young people are finding antidotes to climate anxiety, featuring videos from teens about their own coping strategies, like finding positive climate news and engaging in community activism. The team at Documented reported on culturally tailored, mental health-building workshops for young immigrants, with bilingual videos (log in to Instagram to view) with tips for immigrants on how to find other helpful mental health resources.
Associated Press Social Media Project
The Associated Press is working with a network of member news organizations and its solutions-trained team of health journalists to create stories and videos to publish online and social media. The AP is relying on national data about youths’ mental health to inform audiences about what can be done to improve it.
Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative
The Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative — a group of 12 media and community organizations — is reporting on solutions to treating youths’ mental health in Southwest Michigan. The Collaborative is enhancing its coverage by creating a zine that is a resource for young people, especially among underserved populations, who seek support and advice.
Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative
The Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative is a group of local news organizations focused on sharing recent findings about the lack of mental health resources in its rural region near the border with Mexico. The collaborative is reporting on how communities and public schools can create systems that include access to mental health resources through electronic means, support strategies that can equip students to help one another, and substance abuse responses.
Resources for Covering Youth Mental Health
REPORTING ON SUICIDE: Offered in partnership with Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing's Media and Mental Health Initiative, these webinars on Media Portrayals of Suicide and Covering Suicide on Campus contain information and tools journalists can apply immediately to their reporting on the subject, without causing harm in the process. The Stanford team has also created two guides to help: Tool to Evaluate Media Portrayals of Suicide (TEMPOS) and Reporting Responsibly on Campus Suicide (RROCS).
REPORTING ON DISABILITY: Created by HEAL Fellow Julia Métraux, this guide covers how young disabled and chronically ill people use online communities. Anyone covering a marginalized community will find something here to learn from, as the insights help spotlight agency and ensure accuracy in your reporting.
REPORTING ON SOLUTIONS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: Produced by NYU Studio 20’s Spring 2023 Writing, Reporting and Research II class, "Social Media for SoJo" is a guidebook designed to assist journalists interested in creating solutions stories with social media storytelling approaches. By utilizing these platforms, journalists can create compelling and engaging solutions journalism and reach new and younger audiences.
A TIPSHEET FOR MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Created by HEAL Fellow Morgan Watkins, this tipsheet covers tips for journalists looking to pursue mental health-focused community engagement events.
