BALTIMORE — A new study from the state of Maryland shows over a third of middle and high school students are either sad or lonely.
Substance use is also changing among young people in the state, the numbers say.
READ MORE: Survey: Alcohol usage up among middle schoolers, down for high school students
About 37% of middle schoolers reported feeling sad or hopeless, and about 39% of high schoolers felt the same, according to the CDC-sponsored survey of students in hundreds of Maryland public schools.
Dr. Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, tells WMAR-2 News worsening mental health is a trend experts have seen over the last two decades.
"One of the potential causes could be social media and the use of smartphones," said Vidal, "and the differences in which younger people are having social interactions now."
In addition to pandemic instability - financial concerns, smartphones and social media could all be detrimental, Vidal explained.
Vidal offered advice to parents amid worsening teen mental health.
"It’s not that you have to get rid of social media completely," Vidal said, "but definitely some of the sites are not appropriate for young kids. There should be some sort of regulation."
"I definitely think that routines, attending school regularly, trying to have the kids involved in activities, and in-person social interactions are key," Vidal added.
LGBTQ+ young people in Maryland are disproportionately struggling. The study said 31% of straight students responded with hopeless thoughts - compared to 65% of lesbian, gay and bisexual students.
The study also showed queer students are bullied at roughly double the rate of their straight classmates - both online and in-person.
For a child experiencing thoughts of self-harm: Vidal advises immediate professional help. The national suicide prevention lifeline is 9-8-8.
