(TNND) — Technology is evolving faster than the safeguards meant to protect young people, and an erosion of human connection and social support systems is leaving youth with a deeper sense of isolation.
But there’s also reason for hope, as youth mental health experts track trends to watch in 2026.
John MacPhee, the CEO of The Jed Foundation (JED), an organization focused on mental health for teens and young adults, laid out the emerging risks and opportunities in a blog post this week.
He wrote about how digital systems are optimized for engagement, not for care. He said public systems of support are shrinking as needs intensify. And he warned that social and economic systems are limiting pathways to connection, mentorship and purpose.
But, MacPhee said Wednesday, “It’s definitely not all doom and gloom.”
“Young people are amazing,” MacPhee said. “They’re incredibly talented. They don’t carry the same stigmas as in the past. They certainly want to make the world a better place. They support each other. And so, there’s a lot there to have hope in as we look at young people.”
It’s now up to adults to support them, MacPhee said.
And that’s why he laid out youth mental health trends, to inform JED’s policy, audiences and partners in the year ahead.
Several months back, JED penned an open letter to technology companies that are building artificial intelligence chatbots, urging them to slow down and weigh safety risks for teenagers before releasing their systems to the public.
And MacPhee again this week warned that AI systems built for profit might not have a young person’s best interests in mind.
Technology can both help and hurt young people navigate their world.
And MacPhee said it’s probably doing both.
Teens and young adults can tap into new communities online. That might be especially beneficial for marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+ youth.
But MacPhee said there’s risk in letting screens displace face-to-face human interactions.
He said technology has played a role in how young people date, which might limit their opportunities for closeness, vulnerability and mutual support.
But MacPhee said the biggest concern is that there aren’t adequate safety regulations around the fast-evolving technologies, including AI.
Algorithms and push notifications are designed to maximize online engagement.
And MacPhee said young people are increasingly exposed to systems that can shape their emotional development, decision-making and behavior without transparency, oversight or meaningful recourse available when something harmful happens.
“(Technology) will continue to change, and probably at an accelerating pace, the way we live, the way we spend our time, the way we relate to each other,” he said. “And so, it is threading through all of these things.”
MacPhee said he’s worried that support systems are eroding, including access to health care for young people.
Medicaid is the largest payer of mental health services for children and adolescents, but he said eligibility changes and more have created instability in the health care safety net.
Medicaid’s role in supporting youth mental health will depend on whether policymakers strengthen enrollment access, streamline school-based reimbursement processes, and ensure consistent and affordable coverage for preventive and early intervention services, MacPhee said.
And the federal government defunded specialized support for LGBTQ+ youth on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
“That did alarm a lot of us in this community, because we believe that that kind of tailored support is important,” MacPhee said.
Technology is changing work for young people, MacPhee said.
The adoption of AI could make entry-level work harder to get, and hybrid or remote work and school could undercut the ability of young people to meet each other and forge social connections.
Young people are turning to chatbots for therapy, even if they’re not designed for that.
But MacPhee said states are collaborating more intentionally to improve youth mental health supports, including prevention, crisis response and recovery.
And he said JED has seen great results from schools and community-based organizations working to strengthen approaches to youth mental health.
MacPhee said caring adults – whether they’re parents, teachers or someone else – should make sure that young people in their lives know they’re available as a judgment-free safe harbor to talk or just listen when emotional or mental challenges arise.
“The world feels very unpredictable and uncertain, and so young people really benefit from a sense of stability and predictability and hope and optimism,” MacPhee said. “And I think older adults can really bring that and should really work to bring that.”
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