By: Colleen Russo Johnson, Makeda Mays Green & Ron Geraci 

There’s no question that today’s youth are experiencing a mental health crisis. In April 2023, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the impera- tive to address the vulnerable state of mental health in children, declaring it “the defining public health crisis of our time” in a livestream with US Senator Bernie Sanders on X (formerly Twitter).

Nickelodeon’s new Wellness Matters study explores the state of childhood mental health and the strategic approaches content creators can take to play a part in fostering their emotional well-being. We surveyed 700 six- to 12-year-olds, 700 of their parents and 102 mental health professionals throughout the US in November/December 2023, and our findings suggest that kids need help understanding the importance of prioritizing mental health.

While more than three-quarters of our kids sample said it’s very important to take care of their physical health, less than two- thirds prioritized their mental health to the same degree.

Parents and mental health professionals, on the other hand, are more acutely aware of the importance of mental wellness. When asked about children in general, 88% of parents are at least slightly concerned about kids’ mental health, with more than a quarter being very or extremely worried.

Mental health professionals say six- to 12-year-olds are most commonly dealing with challenges related to anxiety, peer relationships, emotional regulation, bullying and stress from parental divorce/separation. And other leading factors contributing to these struggles include social media, housing and food insecurity, and after-effects of the pandemic.

Leveraging coping strategies

To deal with the stressors of day-to-day life, kids today are employing a wide range of coping mechanisms. Their top strategy for dealing with stress is talking to or snuggling with a parent, but their next go-to is watching a favorite TV show or movie. (And parents rate this as the fifth most-helpful tool for helping their child to calm down.)

Given this fact, content creators have a unique opportunity—as well as a responsibility—to help inspire kids to prioritize their mental well-being through storytelling.

Over the years, there have been some terrific examples of entertainment titles that discuss topics related to youth mental health, spreading critical awareness of the issues at play and the resources that are available. (Bluey, SpongeBob SquarePants and Inside Out were highlighted in our study as prime examples of shows and movies that talk about feelings.)

However, messages promoting mental well-being don’t have to be limited to scenes that are explicitly about mental health. There are clear opportunities for both active and passive portrayals that foster mental wellness, and both can be excellent, depending on the content.

Arguably, passive portrayals can be incorporated into any content dealing with any topic—whether or not messaging around mental health is an explicit goal. These additions cost the storyline nothing, and they help to subtly normalize mental well-being and create a powerful feeling-seen moment for the audience.

For example, a passive portrayal could be a character saying, “I’m talking to my therapist after school, but I can hang out afterwards.” The script could have just as easily said “dentist appointment” or “basketball practice” and nothing about the scene would have changed. But mentioning a therapy appointment subtly normalizes seeing a mental health professional, and it’s even stronger if it comes from a character who you wouldn’t expect to be in therapy.

Meanwhile, active portrayals are great for explicitly calling out messaging around mental health and well-being, and they naturally fit into content in relatable and authentic ways. An example could involve actually showing a child in a therapy session.

Modeling common scenarios

It’s also important to understand how kids want to see these coping strategies represented. When we asked them to identify what kinds of on-screen content would help them feel better when they’re sad or stressed, kids’ number-one request was for scenes showing open communication with parents and friends. (And they especially want to see boys talking with each other about their feelings and struggles.)

Keep in mind that these conversations do not need to be perfect. In fact, showing a parent struggling and maybe not getting it right the first time—but at least trying to engage in a meaningful discussion—could be more relatable and very powerful.

Along with open communication, kids want to see creative coping strategies modeled in the shows and movies they watch. As one 10-year-old girl said, “In my TV show, there’d be a magic journal that helps kids understand their feelings. They’d write in it and get cool advice! There’d be fun adventures where they learn it’s OK to feel sad or stressed, and also ways to feel better, like playing or drawing.”

Interestingly, kids emphasized that they don’t just want to see major mental health crises on screen. They also want to see the real, everyday problems that most kids are navigating. And they’d appreciate scenes that normalize low feelings as a reminder that everyone struggles, with resolutions that focus more on the journey through these hard days than on coming out on the other side. As one nine-year-old girl said, “Have a show end where everything isn’t OK. Stop making everything a fairy tale. Bad things happen, and you have to deal with it.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, kids expressed some interest in watching portrayals of bullying—and importantly, how to cope with this experience and overcome it. Moreover, kids are keen to see supportive teachers they can turn to as trusted advisors and advocates.

Showing what therapy looks like is another aspirational request, and Black children we surveyed were more than twice as interested in seeing this on screen. Notably, mental health professionals also stressed the importance of media making it mainstream and admirable to go to a therapist or talk about feelings on a regular basis, instead of waiting until a crisis event transpires to seek help.

Kids say content creators should incorporate hugs from parents (which is their top coping strategy, along with open communication). Modeling this behavior is also beneficial for parents, who may not have grown up in households that demonstrated affection in this kind of physical way.

Finally, and very importantly, kids want humor (where appropriate, of course). Comedy is a great way to normalize serious topics in a relatable and engaging way, so lean into the laughs while still respecting the sensitivity of some situations.

Clearly, mental well-being is a journey. And content creators have a unique opportunity to help kids effectively cope with challenges in their daily lives. From interstitials to full series, there are rich ways to take a proactive approach and make mental wellness an ongoing deliverable.

There is no need to isolate this mission to Mental Health Awareness Month in May. And remember, progress does not require perfection. Some messaging around mental well-being is better than none at all.

COLLEEN RUSSO JOHNSON is a developmental psychologist with expertise in children’s technology and media. She is currently working at Nickelodeon as a VP of digital and cultural consumer insights.

MAKEDA MAYS GREEN is senior vice president of digital and cultural consumer insights at Nickelodeon, where she evaluates the most effective ways to reach diverse target audiences through innovative research methodologies across platforms.

RON GERACI is currently EVP of multiplatform analytics and insights at Nickelodeon, where he leads a team of researchers specializing in media behavior and attitudes among kids and families.

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen’s May/June 2024 magazine issue.