Help us report on youth mental health in NYC

A group of men in suits and two women stand in front of a wall with bright mural on it. Mayor Adams is at a lectern.  A sign reads NYC TeenSpace.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan announce “TeenSpace” — the city’s tele-mental health service available to all New York City teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old at no cost, in Brooklyn on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Two weeks ago, New York City launched a new effort to address the ongoing youth mental health crisis: free online therapy for city teenagers.

The statistics illustrating the depth of that crisis are sobering. Nationwide, three-quarters of high school students experienced at least one “adverse childhood experience” – traumatic events linked with long-term mental health challenges – during the pandemic. In New York City, 9% of teenagers reported attempting suicide in 2021, according to the city’s Health Department.

As the city’s efforts roll out, we want to better understand the mental health picture for young people, and how it’s affecting schools.

Educators, parents, and especially students: We want to hear directly from you. If you have something to share, please fill out our brief survey – and thank you.


The Latest

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said those working in child care provide ‘the most essential service’ in Philadelphia.

The longtime UFT president’s role in approving the loathed Medicare Advantage cost-savings switch of retiree health insurance has rival candidates gunning to dislodge him.

I can’t help but wonder what my life might have been like if I’d had access to these tools earlier on.

Chicago Public Schools put out to bid 20 properties, most of them closed schools from 2013. The journey to repurpose the old schools could be long and winding.

With Community Education Council elections underway, there are signs of growing resistance to what some parents see as an alarming rightward shift in local education politics.