By Jason Strecker at brownstone.org

This was another week in what has become a regular occurrence: being contacted by concerned parents seeking advice on why their school is spiraling out of control, with their kid being caught up in the collateral damage. The feeling is akin to a song the 90s rock band Offspring composed but brought sharply into focus in 2025, The Kids Aren't Alright, but neither are the parents and schools.

I want to offer my observations as someone who has been in the teaching trade for nearly two decades, and the strategies which are working.

"I Want to Kill Myself"

As dramatic as this sounds, many teenagers contemplate suicide, even if only for a fleeting moment, as they struggle to find their place in society. What is different now is the strength of emotion experienced by some, resulting in it being vocalized as a solution to difficulties felt in their well-being. Whilst this drastic expression is not widespread, it was virtually non-existent prior to 2020.

In what is unlikely to be an isolated occurrence, A/Prof of Child & Adolescent psychiatry Peter Parry, in his evidence in the Terms of Reference to the Australian Government for a Covid-19 Royal Commission reported "five high school aged adolescents tragically losing their lives across South-East Qld in the final two weeks before the government announcement that the schools were going to reopen.

I was on call over the middle weekend and aware that in perhaps three of these cases statements of suicidal ideation because they couldn't see their friends."

Kids Just Need to Get Over It and Build Some Resilience

I want to address a new strain of an existing challenge which has occurred - emotional regulation. Imagine a 15-year-old boy, full of energy and rapid physical development, and the challenges he has with impulse control at the best of times. Now imagine a 13-year-old brain in that body. What would be the expected result? I would suggest a lack of ability to emotionally self-regulate, a rise in recalcitrant behavior, often followed by an outburst of tears or overemotive responses.

This is what is occurring, and at rates I haven't seen before.

According to the University of Oxford 2024 World Happiness Report, "For the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, happiness has decreased in all age groups, but especially for the young, so much so that the young are now, in 2021-2023, the least happy age group.

This is a big change from 2006-2010, when the young were happier than those in the midlife groups, and about as happy as those aged 60 and over…and greater for females than males." The kids are not alright and just saying they should "get over it" misconstrues the enormity of the challenge before us.

Parental Priorities

Feedback and surveys have revealed a trend away from parents prioritizing academic success and towards child well-being. Whilst this is an admirable quality, in my opinion, it is somewhat misguided. I believe in naming the problem, recognizing it as a challenge, but not letting it become the determiner of someone's life. Having said that, the children in our care are not ours. They have parents who have lovingly brought them into the world and are their advocates and responsibility.

The Teacher Tested My Child on Things They Haven't Been Taught

I have heard this comment from many distressed parents who have contacted me across differing schools and regions, and it isn't true. Parents, a word from the wise: if your child says this, be skeptical and contact the teacher. Ask with respect and you should get a respectful response. It may be that your child is the victim of the dreaded testing on topics not learnt, but they will be one of a tiny number.

It is, however, emblematic of a cultural shift which has taken place, and our overly bureaucratic educational system has been unable to adjust to. It may be that your child has missed lessons in the leadup to a test and has lacked the proactive discipline to be responsible for ca...