CDC report: 30% of teenage girls say they have seriously considered suicide

BAYVILLE, N.J. — It’s no secret that a mental health crisis is plaguing our children; a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report highlighted concerning increases in sadness in teenage girls.

CBS2’s Christine Sloan investigated the alarming findings as parents desperately wonder what can be done.

That CDC report is painting a grim picture for teen girls in America, not only finding they’re facing record levels of sadness, but also they’re twice as likely as boys to take their own lives.

New Jersey high school student Adriana Kuch was just 14 when she died by suicide earlier this month.

“I look at Adriana and I see Mallory,” Dianne Grossman said. “Mallory was just a normal, everyday sixth grader. We used to say that she’s just the all-American little girl.”

Grossman says her daughter took her own life in 2017 at the age of 12, after being bullied at school for a year.

“The girls took Mallory’s picture and used Snapchat to edit the picture and post it online, and tell her that she had no friends and told her to kill herself,” Grossman said.

READ MORE: Another bullying accusation at Central Regional High School, where 14-year-old student Adriana Kuch was bullied before taking her life

Disturbing video of students attacking Adriana at Berkeley Township’s Central Regional High School was recorded and posted on TikTok, according to her father. He told CBS2 earlier this month he believes the reposting of the video drove Adriana to end her life.

But he blames school officials.

“If they called the police and they did an investigation, those girls would not have posted those videos from school,” Michael Kuch said.

READ MORE: Contentious school board meeting held at Central Regional High School in wake of 14-year-old Adriana Kuch’s suicide

Several students were charged, the superintendent resigned, and the school district says it’s re-evaluating anti-bullying policies.

A TikTok spokesperson says the social media app “does not allow bullying, harassment and violence” on its platform and removes video that violates community guidelines.

• If you or someone you know needs help, you can call or text 988 to speak with a trained, caring counselor 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also chat online with a counselor at 988lifeline.org.

Cyber bullying expert Rania Mankarious says the damage is done once there’s a screengrab of the video.

“It’s not going away tomorrow. It’s not going away next week,” Mankarious said.

READ MORE: Central Regional School District Superintendent Dr. Triantafillos Parlapanides resigns days after student Adriana Kuch’s death by suicide

The CDC report found 30% of teen girls said they had seriously considered attempting suicide.

Experts say there’s a multitude of factors for the uptick — from pandemic isolation to cyber bullying on social media — but Mankarious says teen girls are particularly vulnerable.

“Their bodies are changing. You’re at the peak of all your hormones through puberty,” she said. “They are facing this life in the public sector of the online space, where they are targeted, they are picked at. They are judged. They are bullied. It’s almost impossible for a young mind to navigate that.”

READ MORE: Breaking the Stigma: Children and Mental Health — Harlem teens take action, bring plan to lawmakers

Another study finds young people who are cyber bullied are four times more likely to have suicidal thoughts.

“Even if a teen was already depressed or having other problems, bullying can really be the factor, that kind of negative peer attention, especially in the social media age, that takes things over the top,” said Dr. Stuart Green of the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Task Force.

Green says educators need to stop bullying at school when it starts.

“We have to be raising a generation of children that understand the power of posting, commenting,” Mankarious said. “I recommend starting at 8 years old about digital tools and the power of connecting via the digital space.”

“I don’t think cellphones need to be in schools. I’ve said this since the day that Mallory died,” Grossman added.

Most school districts don’t allow cellphone use in classrooms, but have struggled with prohibiting them in hallways or lunch areas.

READ MORE: Parents protest outside Central Regional High School in wake of student Adriana Kuch’s death by suicide

At 22 Philadelphia elementary, middle and high schools, students are required to lock their phones inside a magnetic pouch. Each student is issued one at the beginning of the school year.

As for other social media companies like Snapchat, they say they also review material to make sure harmful content doesn’t get on their platform.

Meanwhile, New Jersey’s updated anti-bullying law named after Mallory Grossman requires schools appoint anti-bullying specialists and allows parents to seek civil penalties under certain circumstances.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 at anytime.