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.
