PRAIRIE GROVE, Ark. — The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a report showing that less students are feeling persistently sad or hopeless. However, the report also shows more teens are reporting experiences of school-based violence and absenteeism due to safety concerns.
"I think it's promising that students are reporting that they feel less stress and less worry about things," Prairie Grove High School Counselor Mandy Hunt said. "I feel like after COVID, things are really starting to get back to normal. It's a new normal, really, but [the] kids are starting to settle in."
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey analyzed data and trends between 2013 and 2023. According to the report, 16% of high school students reported being electronically bullied in 2023. Of this percentage, female students were more likely to be electronically bullied than male students.
Last school year, the Prairie Grove School District implemented a "no phones" policy during instructional time.
"The main benefit is just this attention in class and the less distractions in class with not having phones out," Hunt said. "But, I could definitely see how if they're not on their phones, they can't be saying ugly things to each other."
The high school has also created a safe space for students.
"We call it a Zen Den," Hunt said. "It is a place where a kid who is overwhelmed or just needs to step away, they can come and we give them about 15 minutes to collect themselves. We all get overwhelmed sometimes, and we all need to step away and collect ourselves and things like that. And so it's good for everybody every now and then."
As school starts, the CDC said this data is important to highlight the challenges teenagers face so communities can address their health and safety.
"It gives you hope that things are moving in the right direction mental health-wise for students to see that there was an improvement in what kids were reporting," Hunt said. "Hope is important. Hope helps move things in the right direction."
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