Nearly 90% of kids worry, according to Kidshealth survey
MIAMI - A new survey is sounding the alarm about worries among young children, with 86 percent reporting worrying.
The survey, by Nemours Kidshealth, found more than one in three kids aged 9 to 13 worry at least once a week, most often about school (64 percent) or friendships. (41 percent).
But more than half don't think adults understand their concerns.
"More important than the content of the worry is the frequency and the magnitude of the worry," said Dr. Lawrence Moss, CEO of Nemours Children's Health.
Moss said for some kids, worries can lead to depression and mental health problems that extend into adulthood.
"Of serious mental illness in the adult population, 75 percent started before age 14. So if we don't jump on top of this problem, we're literally at risk of losing a whole generation of Americans," he said.
Like many kids across the country, Maeve Bradley, 12, had to stay home during the pandemic. But when she returned to the classroom, she said her mind was filled with worries.
"Cause like we were doing a lot of stuff on our computer and now it's like back with different kind of tests and stuff," she said.
Through it all her mom Maura was ready to listen.
"I just wanted to make sure she knew she could come and talk, and no matter what, we would be there for her," she said.
Moss said parents should be proactive by simply asking kids what's on their mind.
According to the survey, 75 percent of younger children said they turn to their parents first for information or advice, that number dropped to nearly 50 percent for older children.