Teens today are more likley to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide.

Question

Forty percent of highschool students reported to experiance, persistent feelings such being sad and hopeless in 2023, according Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Which focus on many studies on teen bahavior such as meltal health, sexual behavior and other important issues. lots of theses reports came in during the convid19 pandemic (about 42% two years earlier).

CNN spoke with Matt Richtel who wrote a book “How we grow up”, focusing on the transition towrds teen behavoir of idenity, and the challenges that come with that, and why has the been so effective for the past decades. in his interveiw with CNN he mentions those challgenes such as, the teen tends to move quickly cuaing them to feel overwelmed or anxiety, for newer generations are surronded by social media making them feel insheltered. teens not knwing why there upset, translating them to have bad days. Not understanding or even having the motivatiin of adolescence wanting to explore, exmaple not wanitng to read.

Methods from Richtel, he metioned for teens to deal with situations like these. Is to find the skills of coping, also going to therapy that focus more congnitive behavior and dialectical therapy.

Answer 1

This claim is true. As reported by the CDC under the topic of “Adolescent and School Health” in November 2024, “4 in 10 (40%) students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.” This statistic comes from the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report” that spanned from 2013-2023 and was carried out by the CDC. In regard to suicide, the same report highlights that “2 in 10 (20%) students seriously considered attempting suicide and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) attempted suicide.” These statistics regarding depression and suicide come directly from the Center for Disease Control, the national public health agency of the U.S. While these statistics do come directly from the CDC, we also see several other reputable organizations reporting on the same statistics. The National Public Radio, The Jed Foundation, and New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services are all either non-profit organizations, or government organizations who have used the same data to support this claim. While these statistics are from 2023, the same statistics have also been outlined in a 2025 report by the CDC regarding Children’s Mental Health, working to uphold the claim that “teens today are more likely to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide” despite this data being nearly two years old.

Comments

Great fact check! I can see the thorough research and thought put into this answer. It is really great how each and every source is linked including the organizations mentioned in the articles. Checking CDC was a great source to verify the statement. I appreciate how you said some of the statistics were from 2 years ago, but still accurate now.

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i appreciate the amount of sources throughout this post! it helped me get a clear understanding that all your facts were true, and i also found it super helpful that you gave a lot of detail throughout your post while keeping it short and interesting

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You did a really good job explaining your sources and using facts from the CDC to back up the claim. I like that you also included other trusted places like NPR and The Jed Foundation to show the information is true. Maybe you could also mention what the CDC means by “feeling sad or hopeless” so readers understand it better such as giving examples. Overall, your explanation makes the claim clear and believable, and you used strong evidence to support it.

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It’s clear that you did a thorough job analyzing the related sources. You’re commitment to relevant, current data is evident in the final statement of your answer which is crucial when discussing a serious topic such as this.

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This is a strong answer. I like that you used the CDC to support your claim, it’s such a reliable source. Including other trustworthy sources to confirm the same stats makes your response even more convincing. I also appreciate that you pointed out the data is from 2023 but still relevant today. One small thing you could add is whether there have been any updates or changes since then, just to give it an extra layer of accuracy.

Answer 2

This is true; the teens today are more likely to be sad and suicidal. According to CNN (the article linked above), since the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of multiple surveys administered to students have shown a significant increase in the unhappiness of these students. Also, according to the CDC, ever since 2023, the risk of these students' mental health has increased substantially. Lastly, according to CPC, 42% of teens feel a "persistent feeling of sadness or hopelessness", confirming the claim made by CNN.

This is a true claim made with no bias, all facts.

Comments

I like how you included evidence in your fact check but I feel like you could expand more. You used a credible source, which is a good start, maybe explaining more about how you found it to be unbiased could help in really proving how the claim is true.

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I agree that both CDC and CNN are credible sources but to say that there is no bias involved is surface level in my opinion. One might be stronger when it comes to emotions and the other could tie more into the statistics among teen suicide rates. I'm curious if these statistics are tied to other social issues like social media or inflation for example. Valuable post, I'd just love to hear more about your findings in it's bias.

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I enjoyed your comment and the source seems credible, but how did you determine that there is "no bias, all facts"?

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I liked how you used sources that are well-known and familiar to a lot of people. Your stats are clear and proven as well, which makes your response trustworthy. However, I do hope that you expand on this topic a little more. Including reasons why this could be happening could help you build a stronger response. It would also be beneficial if you explained why this claim is "no bias, all facts". Overall, good comment.

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I admire how you used well-known sources that are viable resources to check with. The statistics match with your research, and your claim was simple yet reaffirming. I would question though about a true bias between the websites you researched, as one could have aligned more valuable than another. However, I do believe this is a very strong answer.

Answer 3

After fact-checking this claim, I decided that it is an accurate statement. The author, Giselle Paloma Toledo, used credible sources, including CNN and the CDC. Although I was unable to find any background information on her by googling her and searching for her account on LinkedIn, her sources really strengthened her piece. 

I chose this statement because mental health is incredibly important, and because so many teens and adults feel hopeless, it has to do with public interest. 

She used different statistics to help show the change in teens who have been feeling sad, hopeless, or suicidal in the last few years. The information from the CDC shows that students who felt like this in 2013 were around thirty percent, but it has grown drastically; in 2021, it was around forty-two percent. However, it is important to note that in the last few years, the numbers have closely fluctuated; in 2023, it was forty percent. It also may suggest that the numbers have not risen as much as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The author also went on and used a CNN story to help explain why some teenagers are feeling like this, partially linked to pressures on social media and anxiety. Her use of CNN and the CDC have us numerous statistics that helped prove the claim.

Finally, to reassure this claim, I did my own research to ensure that this claim was correct. With information from Clarify Health, there was a statistic that again proved the author's claim, "Youth mental health hospitalizations increased by 124% from 2016 to 2022"  (Clarify Health). This shows the large jump in numbers over the last decade.

Comments

I appreciate how you included numerous statistics from the CDC that help back up the original claim. But, I'd be curious to know more about the "CNN story" you mentioned and more about their explanations on why teenagers are feeling like this, and how that information can assist your fact-check.

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I really liked how in depth you went into explaining how the author used credible sources that backed up their claim. I think going into more explanation about your own research could also help prove how the claim is true, but overall really good in providing details and providing a good summary!

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You did a great job fact checking this claim and explaining why it’s accurate. I like how you emphasized the credibility of the sources, especially the CDC and CNN, since both are reliable for health and social data. Even though you couldn’t find much background on the author, you clearly showed how her use of statistics and reputable evidence supports the claim. I also think your focus on public interest and the growing concern around teen mental health made your response stronger and more meaningful. It might be worth adding a short note about how the numbers could change in the future or what factors might influence them such as the post pandemic recovery or increased awareness around mental health. Overall, your fact check was well researched, clear, and relevant.

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I appreciate how well you explained your argument about why you believed the fact check was correct. I can tell your fact check is well researched I do wonder about who wrote the CNN article you referenced and what their credential's are.

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This is a really good fact-check. The statistics you provided made the evidence easily digestible and both of the sources you used were credible. One thing would be that I am curious to know who wrote the CNN article and if they have any personal bias.

Answer 4

This claim is true. The Youth Risk Behavior survey was a key source in this CNN article to find data about the health behaviors and experiences of high schoolers from 2021-2023. Another CNN article that was linked within this article, also used the Youth Risk Behavior survey for their findings and received very similar data. In 2023, 40% of students who answered the survey said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. That metric was down from a high of 42% in 2021 but is still about 10 percentage points higher than it was a decade ago. Furthermore, the survey comes from the CDC, a highly reliable and official government website. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) report consistent answers from this survey and there are minimal prevalence changes within the surveys data, meaning that when they re-recorded the same students they received similar answers to the first study they conducted. 

Additionally, Kara Alaimo, the writer for the CNN article in this claim, writes frequently for CNN about the impact of social media and general issues affecting women. Other news outlets and articles, such as NPR,  have reported on similar topics and recorded similar data to the others. Those are among the findings of a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which features results from the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted every two years. NPR also used the Youth Risk Behavior survey as a main source, confirming the relevance and accuracy of the data. All of these articles were written in August of 2025 so the content is fresh and relevant from all sources. 

Comments

I really like how you used many sources to back up your claim but I wish you included more links to the specific articles you were viewing or mentioned in your claim. I am intrigued by the studies and the claims you were reading about.

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The connections you made between several news platforms (CNN, NPR) that all used the same YRBS source really strengthen the fact checking process. This shows that the data is widely accepted and reported.

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I appreciate how you ensured the data you used to fact check was still relevant, and it added validity to your argument. The use of multiple platforms to back you up also added validity to you statement.

Answer 5

This claim is partially true, and partially false. A Yale Medicine article (https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/teen-suicide, published in April 14, 2023 by Kathy Katella) speaks on the topic of poor mental health in young people. Yale Medicine specialist Kirsten A. Bechtel, MD working in the YNHCH (Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital) reports that “900 of the 40,000 patient visits a year come in for care for anxiety, depression, and other mental health and behavioral problems, and about half of those have suicidal thinking or behavior.” This is an alarming statistic, as it means the hospital receives 1-2 young patients with suicidal ideation daily. 

However, findings from the CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results (https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/results/2023-yrbs-results.html#cdc_data_surveillance_section_2-youth-mental-health, published in 2023 with data spanning from 2021-2023) seem to have a more positive conclusion, as the percentage of students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness dropped from 42% to 40% over a two year period. While worrying mental health trends have been seen amongst youth in recent years, there is some evidence that shows that the mental health of youth today is slowly trending in a positive direction. 

Comments

I think it’s good to have a skeptical perspective. While most people tend to see things from only one point of view, you can consider multiple perspectives to check whether the article is accurate. Adding links also makes it easier for readers to understand your opinion.

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I like how you have a perspective from both sides, both with highly credible sources. Seeing things we normally are told one thing about in a contrasting perspective is a skill many people don't have. I like the way you approach it as well because you tell us one perspective then tell us "but at the same time..." which is a strong point to your claim that it can't be true or false.

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I liked that you explain both sides of the argument, but it could be helpful to include some of the reasons for those statistics and why the number of patients are high or why the percentages have gone down.

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I like how you explained both sides of the argument, but I personally feel like you could have included more reasons for the evidence.

Answer 6

According to study from Yale Medicine that I found, which shows an increase in the number of teenagers seeking treatment for mental health concerns, many teenagers face these types of serious moods that need to be brought up today. According to the study, 57% of adolescent girls experienced "persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness", which is the largest percentage in the past ten years. Many of these girls also thought about and attempted suicide. Researchers and experts think these difficulties connect to family problems, social media pressure, and bullying. Teen mental health issues are real and common, as the article confirms by highlighting the value of talking to trusted people and seeking therapy to help them cope.

This claim is definitely valid and can be supported through much evidence around. This is a subject that should be brought up and taken care of more often.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/teen-suicide

Answer 7

The claim that "teens today are more likely to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide" is true. In 2023, the CDC reported that ""about 40% of teens reported persistent feelings of sadness/hopelessness in 2023, down from 42% in 2021 but still significantly higher than 30% in 2013". Although mental health in teens has experienced a slight uptick in recent years, it remains decidedly worse than it was a decade ago, therefore supporting this claim. In addition to that CDC study on teens in general, the CDC also conducted a study in 2021 on the mental health of teen girls where they found that "57% of teen girls experienced persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2021, up from 36% in 2011. It is shown unanimously among these studies that teen mental health is worse than past years and that teens are reporting struggles with mental health at a higher rate than previous years. A third primary source shows that in addition to teens reporting hopelessness, there are also higher rates of suicidal ideation and thought (CDC 2023): Among US high school students in 2023:4 "40% reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year, 20% reported seriously considering attempting suicide in the past year, 16% reported making a suicide plan in the past year, 9% reporting attempting suicide in the past year."

A secondary source supporting these primary findings is the New Jersey Pediatric Psychology Collective that states that "depression among teens is more common than we might think", using statistics from the above CDC studies. 

Comments

I like that you had multiple quotes to back up your reasoning, however I think it would be more beneficial to use multiple sources compared to just one. However, your evidence was great and I agree!

Answer 8

Claim "Forty percent of high school students reported to experience persistent feelings such as being sad and hopeless in 2023, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey" is true.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, the nation's leading public health agency. The CDC has conducted this survey since 1991 to monitor health risk behaviors among high school students across the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/dstr/pdf/YRBS-2023-Data-Summary-Trend-Report.pdf

The 2023 YRBS surveyed 20,103 students from 155 schools including national, state, and local school based surveys representative samples of 9th through 12th grade students. These surveys are conducted every two years, usually during the spring semester. The survey makes it one of the most broad and reliable sources of adolescent health data available. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a1.htm

I traced this claim back to the CDC's report "Youth Risk Behavior Survey data summary 2023." According to this report, 40% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness in 2023. This confirms the claim is accurate. https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/results/2023-yrbs-results.html

For context, the 2021 YRBS survey conducted during the COVID 19 pandemic showed and even higher rate of 42% of student reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness, with nearly 29% reporting poor mental health overall. While there has been a slight improvement from 2021-2023, the rates remain very high, meaning that many young people continue to face serious mental health challenges. https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/results/2021-yrbs-results.html#:~:text=2021%20YRBS%20results%20showed%20over,being%20of%20our%20nation's%20youth.

The CDC collects this data to inform the public health policy, prevention programs, and educational programs. This survey covers various topic including mental health, substance use, and sexual behavior. The CDC goal is to protect public health and evidence based guidance to schools, parents, and more.

Answer 9

This claim is true, The source used in this claim is CNN which is a well regarded and trustworthy news outlet. The CNN article states “Teens today — especially girls — are much more likely to say that they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide than they did a decade ago”. This quote backups the News Detective claim that Teens today are more likley to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide. This quote from the CNN article asl goes to  show that this article is a proper source of evidence for the claim. The CNN article used as evidence in this claim is written by Kara Alaimo who is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University so the author is clearly educated and trustworthy. She also has written a book on social medias effect on woman and girls so not only is she well educated but she is also well researched in the topic of Teens mental health which is the topic of her CNN article. To further prove the authenticity of this claim an article by the CDC states that “High pre-COVID rates of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors have continued to rise, particularly among certain subgroups of youth”. This article was published by the Center of Disease Control which is a reliable and official goverment source. The quote above from this CDC article proves the claims that Teens today are more likley to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide by stating that the CDC as seen an increase in poor mental health and suicidal thoughts among teens. Overall through the fact-checking the article used as evidence and its author and other sources one can determine that the claim “Teens today are more likely to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide” is true.)

Answer 10

This claim is true, The source used in this claim is CNN which is a well regarded and trustworthy news outlet. The CNN article states “Teens today — especially girls — are much more likely to say that they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide than they did a decade ago”. This quote backups the News Detective claim that Teens today are more likley to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide. This quote from the CNN article asl goes to  show that this article is a proper source of evidence for the claim. The CNN article used as evidence in this claim is written by Kara Alaimo who is a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University so the author is clearly educated and trustworthy. She also has written a book on social medias effect on woman and girls so not only is she well educated but she is also well researched in the topic of Teens mental health which is the topic of her CNN article. To further prove the authenticity of this claim an article by the CDC states that “High pre-COVID rates of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors have continued to rise, particularly among certain subgroups of youth”. This article was published by the Center of Disease Control which is a reliable and official goverment source. The quote above from this CDC article proves the claims that Teens today are more likley to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide by stating that the CDC as seen an increase in poor mental health and suicidal thoughts among teens. Overall through the fact-checking the article used as evidence and its author and other sources one can determine that the claim “Teens today are more likley to say they feel persistently sad or hopeless and think about suicide” is true.

Comments

I agree with this! I think that you used really reliable sources and I like how there was a connection made between the CNN article and the CDC. I think that it was important to highlight on how the author is educated with communication and the mental health of teens. I think that a lot of teens feel more pressure on everything now days, which really adds to the sad and hopeless feelings that many face.