Feminism gave women a glimpse of a happy world. But for young girls that promise is being dashed

Non-stop social media, sexual objectification and pressure to perform at school are all contributing to young women’s declining mental health

Something is making many of our kids miserable. And it is not getting better. We know it and we don’t. There are constant headlines about the epidemic of mental health problems. The police are now the triage point and cannot cope. Report after report highlights massive depression and anxiety among our youth. Every parent says: “I just want my child to be happy.” Really? Do we?

I ask not out of self-flagellation but because we tend to act as if the things that are making children feel so bad are completely out of our control. Teenage angst is hardly new. It is simply exacerbated by the conditions in which we live: relentless social media, exam stress, economic disenfranchisement and a sense that the world is on its last legs. None of this is a recipe for good mental health. Indeed, distress is all around us. Just ask teachers.

Continue reading...

from Children | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2wTdtTh