Worried sick
Parents fretting over what their kids are getting caught up in and going through is hardly a new phenomenon, but exactly what are modern parents most worried about?
A new study from Pew Research Center, which surveyed nearly 4,000 parents of under-18s late last year, reveals that the most common parental worry is about the mental health of their children, with some 40% of respondents “extremely/very worried” about their offspring struggling with anxiety and depression.
It’s difficult to imagine the list looking the same even 20 years ago. However, on the back of a global pandemic, and with the detrimental impact of smartphones and social media in the spotlight more than ever, the chart-topper is now almost unsurprising.
Interestingly, kids winding up in trouble with the law now worries just 14% of American parents who are altogether more concerned with the direct wellbeing of their children, mentally and physically. Bullying had 35% of those surveyed in the extremely worried camp, with 28% and 25% feeling the same way about their children being abducted/kidnapped and beaten up, respectively.
Pew also found that mothers tend to worry more than fathers about the hazards their children face, as well as feeling more judged and stressed than their male counterparts.
Go Deeper: explore the full report from Pew Research Center.
