Congress Backs September as 'Children's Emotional Wellness Month' Amid Mental Health Crisis

This resolution is all about putting a spotlight on a serious issue: the mental health crisis hitting our kids. Specifically, it officially expresses support for recognizing September 2025 as "National Children's Emotional Wellness Month." While it doesn't create a new law or fund any programs, it’s Congress acknowledging that we have a problem and that awareness is step one.

The Reality Check: What the Data Shows

The resolution isn't just fluffy recognition; it lays out some hard truths about why this month matters. It points out that the pandemic hit kids hard, citing that 140,000 children lost a primary caregiver, which naturally cratered their emotional well-being. This stress isn't theoretical: the resolution notes that mental health-related emergency room visits for kids aged 5 to 11 jumped 24% during the early pandemic months, and 31% for teens (ages 12–17). When you see those kinds of spikes in the ER, you know the system is overloaded.

The Tech Factor: Social Media and Sleep

For those of us raising or working with digital natives, the resolution flags a critical concern: screen time. It highlights research suggesting that spending over three hours a day on social media doubles a young person's risk of anxiety and depression. More than half of youth own a smartphone by age 11, and getting one before age 13 is linked to worse mental health outcomes due to issues like cyberbullying and less sleep. Essentially, this resolution is putting a formal stamp on the fact that our kids’ digital lives are having a measurable, physical impact on their health.

The Treatment Gap: Where the System Fails

One of the most sobering points in the resolution is the massive gap in care. It states that roughly one in five kids in the U.S. has a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, but only about 20% of them get the specialized care they need. This isn't just about sadness; the resolution notes that suicide is now the second leading cause of death for U.S. children and young adults. By highlighting this, the resolution implicitly calls out the barriers families face—like stigma, confusing systems, and simply not having enough qualified providers—that keep kids from getting help.

Recognizing the Front Lines

Beyond just sounding the alarm, the resolution takes a moment to recognize the people doing the heavy lifting: the mental health workforce, including pediatricians and therapists. It also gives a nod to local groups, like the Extraordinary Lives Foundation, that are creating toolkits and education programs. The idea here is simple: if we’re going to solve this, we need to support the professionals and organizations already working in the trenches. Furthermore, it stresses that supporting the mental health of parents is a crucial piece of the puzzle, acknowledging that healthy parents often lead to healthier kids. This resolution is a non-binding but important signal that Congress understands the gravity of the children’s mental health crisis and wants to drive public conversation and awareness around it.