California Ranks 33rd In Child Well-Being: Report

SAN FRANCISCO — According to the 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring, California ranks 33rd in child well-being.

California youths experienced the second largest increase in depression and anxiety among all 50 states, with 7 percent of children ages 3–17 diagnosed with depression or anxiety in 2016, increasing to 11 percent in 2020. In comparison, youth with depression or anxiety rose by 26 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2020, the report published Monday, Aug. 8, said.

Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, California’s member of the KIDS COUNT network said there was a “Significant increase in the need for mental health services” in the state.

“California’s kids are also facing too many barriers accessing these critical services. In fact, 65 percent of California youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment due to lack of access to services,” he said. The report, which focused on youth mental health, agreed with a 2021 assessment by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy that the country is facing a youth “mental health crisis.”

“Mental health challenges in children, adolescents and young adults are real and they are widespread,” Murthy said in a news release Dec. 7, 2021. But most importantly, they are treatable and often preventable.”

The report showed racial and ethnic disparities in access to care and exposure to both overt and systemic racism contribute to additional mental health and wellness burdens for children of color.

According to the report, the suicide rate among Black youth in California dramatically increased in recent years; in 2020 the suicide rate for Black children was 12.3 per 100,000 youth, nearly twice the rate for other Californian children (6.6 per 100,000).

“Many LGBTQ+ young people encounter mental health challenges such as bullying and family rejection; while 41 percent of California heterosexual high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row, 75 percent of LGBTQ+ students reported such feelings,” the report said

“The State must treat this issue like the emergency it is and increase children’s access to mental health services now.” Lempert said, calling the ranking “unacceptable."

“Given that we rank in the top 10 states in overall taxes, and with our national leadership in so many other domains, California should be leading the country in child well-being,” he said. “While we applaud the significant investments and reforms in this year’s state budget, our policymakers need to take even stronger action and commit to making California the national leader when it comes to kids.”

To learn more, read The 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book online.