The great turnaround: How healthy habits are reversing the teen mental health crisis
- CDC's 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows persistent sadness/hopelessness among teens dropped from 42% (2021) to 33% (2025).
- Suicide consideration fell from 22% (2021) to 14% (2025); suicide plans declined from 18% to 12%.
- Report highlights strong progress in nutrition, exercise and sleep as foundations for overall well-being.
- 58% of students played on sports teams in 2025, up from 52% in 2023, with increased fruit/vegetable consumption.
- Physical health improvements are driving success in other areas of life, including mental wellness and school readiness.
The turnaround: Why this report matters after years of crisis
More than one in three high school students continued to experience persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2025, yet new federal data reveals the first sustained improvement in adolescent mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a national emergency declaration in 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey results Sept. 23, analyzing responses from a nationally representative sample of high school students surveyed from January through June 2025. The findings mark the first time since before the pandemic that key mental health indicators have shown consecutive improvement, with persistent sadness dropping from 42% in 2021 to 33% in 2025, and serious suicide consideration falling from 22% to 14% over the same period.
The report arrives amid renewed national focus on youth wellness under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again initiative, which emphasizes nutrition, physical activity and reduced screen time as foundations for mental health.
From emergency to encouragement: Tracking the decade's mental health trajectory
The improvements follow years of deteriorating teen mental health that led the American Academy of Pediatrics to declare a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health in 2021. During the pandemic's peak, emergency department visits for mental health concerns rose 31% among adolescents aged 12 to 17 compared with 2019.
The 2025 data shows suicide plans dropped from 18% to 12%, and the number of students reporting poor mental health declined across demographic groups. Female students, however, remained more likely than males to experience these difficulties, with 43% reporting persistent sadness compared with lower rates among their male peers.
Despite the positive trajectory, the CDC's analysis noted that rates of sadness and hopelessness remain above pre-pandemic levels when measured across the full decade from 2015 to 2025.
New priorities: Nutrition, sports and screen time take center stage
The 2025 report expands its focus on diet, physical activity and sleep as key drivers of both mental and physical health. This shift aligns with Kennedy's MAHA priorities, which connect chronic disease prevention in children to reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods and increased physical movement.
Fifty-eight percent of students reported playing on a sports team in 2025, up from 52% two years prior. More students also reported eating fruits and vegetables daily and drinking water at least three times per day. Screen time remained steady, with roughly one in three students reporting social media use at least every hour.
Dr. Jennifer Shuford, CDC's chief medical officer, said the findings demonstrate that healthier behaviors correlate with improved mental health outcomes, providing a strong foundation for success in other areas of life, including academics and social development.
A holistic view of youth health
The report signals a deliberate reorientation of how federal health authorities frame adolescent wellness — emphasizing prevention and holistic health through nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle factors rather than solely crisis intervention.
Some health professionals welcomed the focus while noting that comprehensive data remains important for understanding all aspects of youth well-being. The improvements provide cause for measured optimism, the CDC concluded, but sustained strategies remain necessary to ensure that more adolescents receive the support they need to be healthy, safe and ready to learn.
The positive trends in both mental and physical health demonstrate that when young people adopt healthier habits, they build resilience and success across all areas of life.
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