Adults Are Letting Teen Girls Down

This is an edition of Up for Debate, a newsletter by Conor Friedersdorf. On Wednesdays, he rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Last week, I asked readers for insights into why teenage girls might be struggling, citing CDC data showing that the percentage who have contemplated suicide is up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago.

Marcie has a 20-year-old daughter who didn’t get to play much in school:

Years ago, when my daughter started kindergarten, I was so excited for her to enjoy all the fun and interesting things that I got to do, and so disappointed when I found out that’s not how they do kindergarten anymore. There was less time for free play, less time to interact with peers, and (when we moved to a new city with only half-day kindergarten) no time for recess. It was heartbreaking to watch her slowly lose her natural sense of wonder and joy in learning. The rest of her school experience was similar—too much desk work, too little play, and hardly any self-guided play.

My daughter started developing anxiety and depression as a teenager. I often wonder if a better school experience would have made a difference. What if part of the reason so many teens are in despair is that they were denied the opportunity to be children? What if our children have too few opportunities to experience wonder, joy, or fun? What if we’ve forgotten that child-labor laws exist for a reason and now our children all hold desk jobs? Only they don’t get paid.

K points a finger at social media:

I teach high school. Last year, a very bright, high-achieving student had to take a medical leave. She later told me she had an eating disorder. While she did talk about the issue of control, which I think is a common factor for girls like her who develop eating disorders, she