How To Prevent Suicide Among Tweens
Suicide and self-harm are complex and never caused by one factor alone. Problematic screen use, cyberbullying, harmful content, and online exploitation may increase risk or intensify existing distress. If someone is in immediate danger or emotional crisis in the United States, call or text 988.
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This HuffPost piece by Julie Scelfo argues that emotional and behavioral struggles once associated mainly with older teenagers are increasingly reported in children as young as 10, and links the shift to a combination of expanded screen time and a decline in in-person community and unstructured play. Scelfo profiles the Sky Center, a Santa Fe crisis-intervention program, as a model for reaching younger children before distress escalates, and cites survey data on tween social-media posts touching on depression and self-harm to illustrate how early these themes now surface online. The piece frames prevention as requiring stronger real-world connection and community support alongside — not instead of — clinical care, and does not attribute youth suicide to any single cause.
The article reports suicide as the second-leading cause of death for U.S. children ages 10 to 14, framing it as part of a broader rise in reported mental-health strain reaching younger children.
Citing an analysis of more than a million tween social-media posts, the piece reports 55% touched on depression and roughly 35% referenced self-harm or suicide, offered as evidence of how early these themes surface online.
Scelfo, Julie. "How To Prevent Suicide Among Tweens." HuffPost, October 3, 2020. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/suicide-prevention-teens-tweens_n_5f764841c5b6374c558b68ca