(StatePoint) There is an epidemic of loneliness affecting boys and young men in America. The fascination with recent shows like Netflix’s “Adolescence,” Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation,” and the return of the online “Ice Bucket Challenge” spotlight this youth mental health crisis in important ways that have reached millions.
IT is no secret how the mental health crisis has impacted boys and young men, and with May marking Mental Health Awareness Month, the conversation is more important than ever.
Meanwhile, statistics show that large numbers of boys and young men are feeling driftless and alienated; and so-called AI “aggrorithms” are filling the void by increasingly driving them toward misogynistic content and misinformation online.
Traditional gender roles have resulted in boys and young men often being left out of the mental health conversation and care, despite being at particularly high risk for poor mental health outcomes. They are the least likely to seek mental health support and are four times more likely to die by suicide than women in the United States.
Supporting boys in addressing mental health challenges begins with ensuring that they have the role models to learn how to build healthy relationships, ultimately leading them to take…
