Photo:Christopher Griffith

Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul convened a Youth Mental Health Summit with over 1000 New Yorkers. The summit follows a statewide Youth Mental Health Listening Tour aimed at exploring the issues impacting the mental health of youth throughout New York State. At these listening sessions- the first of which was held in New York City— adolescents were asked to discuss how the pandemic impacted their mental health; the evolving role social media has played in their lives; how schools can promote wellness among their students; the types of mental health programs they could envision helping them at school; and the advice they’d give to their peers struggling with mental health issues. 

The Summit brought together a broad array of national subject matter experts and stakeholders from the mental health, education, technology, and law enforcement fields to further discuss the challenges and experiences impacting the well-being of our youth, including the role social media plays in their lives. The goal of the Summit was to further explore and advise on future policy initiatives that can help tackle the youth mental health crisis.