For millions of young people, summer means long days outside, pickup games at the park, bike rides to a friend's house, afternoons at the pool. We know these experiences matter for physical health and wellbeing. Ninety percent of youth rate their physical health as good, and youth who do are 1.6 times more likely to find life meaningful and feel optimistic about the future. 

However, summer doesn't land the same way for everyone, especially when it comes to physical activity.

The rulings against Meta and YouTube have set off a wave of  calls to limit (or even ban) young people's social media use. The instinct is understandable, but it’s important to understand the broader context around how and why youth are engaging with social media in the first place. Data from the Youth Mental Health Tracker paints a more nuanced picture when it comes to youth and social media.

With ongoing conflicts overseas, breaking news alerts, and social media feeds saturated with images from war, today’s youth are absorbing a world crisis in real time. For parents, this can raise difficult questions: How much should I say? How do I talk about scary and complex events? How could this be affecting their mental health?