A report by Sapien Labs titled “The Youth Mind: Rising aggression and anger” posted on 23 January 2025 discusses the declining mental health of the younger generation.
The paper is 22 pages long. The main text is about 12 pages, the remaining are appendixes and references.
The study included 10,475 “internet-enabled adolescents” aged 13 to 17 years from the US and India. Approximately half the sample was from the US and half from India.
The data was collected between August 2023 and November 2024 using the Youth-Mind Health Quotient (MHQ).
The Mind Health Quotient (MHQ), is a comprehensive assessment of 47 aspects of mental function across six dimensions of mind health including Mood & Outlook, Adaptability & Resilience, Social Self (our ability to relate to others), Drive & Motivation, Cognition and Mind-Body Connection. The aggregate score, or MHQ, relates to functional productivity, with higher scores associated with an increased number of productive days.
Below are some findings:
“56% of 13–17-year-olds had MHQ scores in the distressed or struggling range… This is in stark comparison to older adults, where less than 20% of those aged 55 and above had MHQ scores in this range.”
The decline was more prominent in females.
“…over 50% of 13–17-year-olds indicated that feelings of sadness, guilt and anxiety … while debilitating unwanted strange thoughts and a sense of being detached from reality came in at 51% and 46%, respectively.”
Although suicide did not make the top 12 in this age group, the percentages were high, particularly for females (US 42%, India 49%).
Aggression, anger and irritability, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts were higher for 13-year-olds than 17-year-olds.
There is evidence linking earlier smartphone use to an increase in issues: “The same problems of aggression and anger that are most increased in 13-year-olds relative to 17-year-olds, are also the same problems that increased most significantly with a younger age of smartphone ownership, an association that we have also previously shown in 18–24-year-olds.
The authors recommend discouraging smartphone use during early childhood core social skills are being developed.
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