Healthcare changes from 2009-2015 improved mental health screening, inflating apparent crisis rates.
International data show inconsistent teen suicide patterns despite similar smartphone adoption rates.
Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and minority teens face much higher suicide risks than general smartphone users.
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably felt that familiar knot watching your teenager choose their phone over dinner conversation. Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book The Anxious Generation seems to confirm our worst fears, presenting graphs showing teen depression and anxiety rates skyrocketing alongside smartphone adoption.
Haidt argues that between 2010 and 2015, kids shifted from a “play-based childhood” to a “phone-based childhood,” rewiring their developing brains and creating unprecedented suffering. For worried parents, this offers both validation and a clear villain to blame.
But the scientific picture is far more complex than Haidt’s narrative suggests.
When Data Tell Different Stories
Haidt’s “hockey stick” graphs look alarming, but closer examination reveals problems with how data are presented. Take suicide rates among girls aged 10-14, which Haidt says increased 167 percent from 2010 to 2020. While heartbreaking, the actual story is more nuanced. For girls aged 15-19, rates doubled from 2010-2020, but 2009 was a historic low point, and overall rates aren’t much higher than in the late 1980s.
Source: CDC Wonder
(Note: Haidt’s graph continues with data from 2017-2020, which I couldn’t independently verify from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] sources.)
Source: CDC Wonder
Here’s what’s puzzling: If constant internet use drives girls to suicide, why aren’t older teens, who spend more time online, showing the highest rates? Half of 15- to 17-year-olds are online “constantly” compared to 38 percent of 13- to 14-year-olds, yet the crisis appears most acute in the younger group.
The Healthcare System Changed, Not Just Teen Behavior
Between 2009 and 2015, the U.S. healthcare system underwent massive changes in identifying youth mental health issues:
2009: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended depression screening for teens aged 12-18.
2011: The Affordable Care Act required coverage for evidence-based mental health services.
2012: Health insurance plans were required to cover annual depression screenings for girls aged 12 and older.
2015: Mandatory new diagnostic codes made it easier to identify intentional self-harm in hospital records.
2016: CDC guidance changedInternational Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, coding guidelines to include symptoms and signs codes (R40-R46) as an Exclusion 2 note for mental disorder codes (F01-F99), implying that suicidal ideation should be coded as a secondary disorder when other mental health disorders are primary.
A New Jersey study found that “underlying suicide-related behaviors among children, while alarmingly high, may not have risen as sharply as reported rates suggest.” We got better at identifying existing problems.
Before focusing solely on screen time, consider what else might contribute to your teen’s stress: academic pressure, family changes, friendship drama. These factors might be more important to address.
When Graphs Mislead
Haidt’s data presentation often makes modest changes appear catastrophic. When describing “dramatic increases” in school alienation worldwide, he’s discussing 0.2-point changes on a 4-point scale. By zooming graphs to narrow ranges, small changes look massive.
Dr. Chris Ferguson notes that while Haidt highlights teen girl suicide increases, middle-aged men show much larger raw increases, about 1,000 additional deaths in comparable populations. If preventing deaths is the goal, focusing on older men would save more lives.
The language we use matters. When we talk about a “mental health emergency” or “surge of suffering,” it shapes how we think about solutions. If we believe there’s a tsunami, we reach for emergency measures like blanket phone bans. If we recognize it’s a modest tide, we might consider more thoughtful responses.
The International Data Don’t Add Up
If smartphones drove teen mental health crises, we’d see consistent patterns across countries where teens use phones heavily. But data from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand show inconsistent trends.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health
In New Zealand, while there was an increase from 2009-2015, suicide rates for girls remained within historical averages and declined for boys.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
In Australia, teen rates increased 2010-2018 but dropped sharply since 2022 without social media bans.
Source: United Kingdom Office for National Statistics
In the United Kingdom, girls’ rates doubled from 2007-2023, but boys’ rates are a third lower than their 1990 peak.
These inconsistent patterns suggest local factors—cultural, economic, or policy-related—matter more than global technology adoption.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
Haidt’s gender focus obscures other critical risk factors. Among Australian First Nations youth, suicide rates are 3.1 times higher than non-Indigenous teens.
Inuit females aged 15-24 had rates 33 times higher than non-Indigenous females.
More than a quarter of LGBTQ+ high school students reported suicide attempts, which is five times higher than heterosexual students.
Different communities experience distress differently:
A Scottish analysis found that teens who self-harmed were often frustrated by adult attempts to blame social media for their behavior. They felt this narrative was wrong and unhelpful, increasing their shame and isolation rather than addressing their real needs.
These young people described self-harm in complex ways—as coping mechanisms, ways to process overwhelming emotions, or behaviors they couldn’t fully explain. Trying to pin their struggles to one simple cause often missed what they actually needed for healing.
Final Thoughts
Yes, teen mental health struggles are real and deserve our attention. But the crisis may not be as widespread or smartphone-driven as The Anxious Generation makes it seem. Those dramatic increases in reported problems likely show that we’ve gotten better at spotting and diagnosing issues that were already there.
This doesn’t mean we should ignore how our teens use technology. But, instead of rushing to ban phones, we might help them more by tackling academic pressure, improving how we talk with them, supporting kids who face discrimination, and making sure all teens feel they belong.
Our teens’ mental health depends on many things—what happens at home, at school, and in their communities. When we try to pin complex struggles on one simple cause, we often miss chances to address what’s really going wrong.
Of course, this raises another big question: Even if the mental health crisis isn’t as severe as claimed, could social media still be harming our kids in other ways?
If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7 dial 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
