{"id":199682,"date":"2025-10-03T15:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T15:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/199682\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T15:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T15:00:09","slug":"new-poll-94-of-gen-z-youth-report-experiencing-regular-mental-health-challenges-blue-shield-of-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/199682\/","title":{"rendered":"New Poll: 94% of Gen Z Youth Report Experiencing Regular Mental Health Challenges | Blue Shield of California"},"content":{"rendered":"

OAKLAND, Calif. (Sept. 30, 2025) – Gen Z youth are sounding the alarm:\u00a0<\/a>nearly all (94%) report experiencing\u00a0<\/a>mental health challenges in an average month<\/a>. That\u2019s according to a new poll<\/a> of California teens and young adults\u00a0by<\/a>\u00a0Blue Shield of California\u2019s BlueSky youth mental health initiative<\/a> and Children Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Infographic_2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite challenges, youth are also taking action:<\/p>\n

The BlueSky Youth Mental Health Survey<\/a>\u00a0polled 750 California youths, ages 14 to 25, from urban and rural communities across the state <\/a>about their mental health challenges and how they access and navigate support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe data shows youth are deeply affected by the world around them, from climate anxiety and safety to social media pressures. Young people are concerned about the future <\/a>and how we treat one another,\u201d said Dr. Nicole Stelter, director of Behavioral Health at Blue Shield of California. \u201cIt\u2019s more important than ever that clinicians, educators, policymakers and caring adults listen to what our youth are saying and treat this seriously for what it is \u2014 a youth mental health crisis.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Top concerns: affordability, climate, discrimination and safety<\/a><\/p>\n

Youth cope by taking action <\/a><\/p>\n

Despite facing significant challenges, California youth remain largely optimistic: 63% said they feel hopeful for the future. Many are actively engaging in efforts to protect their mental health and advocate for change.<\/p>\n

In addition to talking with friends, youth are engaging in pro-climate efforts such as reducing plastic use and picking up litter. They also turn to creative outlets and self-care strategies like listening to music and entertainment (77%), hobbies (62%), exercise (55%) and time outdoors (41%) to manage stress and stay grounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia’s youth today are facing unprecedented challenges driven by outside forces \u2014 from a now year-round wildfire season to an affordability crisis and social media pressures,\u201d said Lishaun Francis,\u00a0<\/a>director of behavioral health at Children Now. \u201cBut they\u2019re not passive. They want to be in the driver\u2019s seat for their future and they\u2019re clearly taking action<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media: positive and negative impact on youth mental health<\/p>\n

Disproportionate<\/a>\u00a0mental health challenges across identities and geographies <\/p>\n

While the survey revealed mental health challenges across all youth, notable disparities emerged across different identity groups and regions:<\/p>\n


\n\tYouth of color: 98% of youth who reported poor mental health identify as youth of color.
\n\tLGBTQ+ youth: 91% expressed concern about discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
\n\tRegional differences: Gen Z youth in Los Angeles \u2014 where communities have faced recent devastating wildfires, along with immigration and affordability pressures \u2014 reported the highest levels of fair or poor mental health (42%), compared to 30% statewide when asked, \u201cHow is your mental health today?\u201d <\/p>\n

Embarrassment continues to be a major barrier to care <\/a><\/p>\n

Among youth who wanted professional mental health support <\/a>but didn\u2019t receive it, 35% <\/a>cite embarrassment as a barrier. Even among those who did receive care, stigma and embarrassment were common obstacles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that stigma is still standing in the way of healing,\u201d said <\/a>Paula\u00a0<\/a>Ambrose, who leads Blue Shield\u2019s BlueSky initiative. \u201cWhat we hear from youth and our members directly informs our work<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 shaping how we design programs, communicate and advocate for change. Reducing stigma isn\u2019t just about encouraging youth to speak up \u2014 it’s also about making sure we\u2019re listening and acting on what they\u2019re telling us.\u201d<\/p>\n

About the poll and BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n

The online survey \u2014 a project of Blue Shield of California\u2019s BlueSky<\/a> youth mental health initiative \u2014 was conducted by Children Now,<\/a> a leading nonpartisan, California-based research and policy organization. Conducted April through June 2025, the poll reached 750\u00a0<\/a>California youth ages 14-25. Click here to download the summary report, including more on the methodology.<\/a> Blue Shield of California conducted a similar BlueSky Youth Mental Health Survey with Harris Poll in 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BlueSky is a multi-year effort to promote emotional well-being for young people across California. Since 2019, BlueSky has supported over 25,000 youth and educators through on-campus and online mental health services, educator training\u00a0and youth-driven advocacy programs.<\/p>\n

About Blue Shield of California\u00a0

\nBlue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. The health plan is a taxpaying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with 6\u00a0million members, over 6,500 employees and more than $27 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $60 million to the Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on California communities.\u00a0For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit\u00a0news.blueshieldca.com<\/a>. Or follow us on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OAKLAND, Calif. (Sept. 30, 2025) – Gen Z youth are sounding the alarm:\u00a0nearly all (94%) report experiencing\u00a0mental health…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,259,260],"class_list":{"0":"post-199682","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}