Nearly half of all high school girls report persistent sadness or hopelessness. American teens now spend almost five hours daily on entertainment screens. These statistics reveal a generation navigating profound shifts in mental health and digital life.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, NCES data shows 85% high school graduation rate for U.S. teens.
- NIMH data shows 31.9% of adolescents aged 12-17 experienced an anxiety disorder in 2021.
- According to the CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 21.9% of high school students were obese (BMI ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex).
- CDC 2023: 16% of high school students currently smoke tobacco products.
- 93% of U.S. teens use YouTube daily, averaging 77 minutes per Pew 2023.
Teen smoking rates are dropping, showing progress but still highlighting the need for prevention.
Related reading
01 · Category
Education26 stats
01
In 2022, NCES data shows 85% high school graduation rate for U.S. teens.
02
Pew 2023: 95% of teens have smartphone access, impacting study habits.
03
NAEP 2022: 40% of 8th graders proficient in reading.
04
College Board 2023: Average SAT score for high school seniors at 1028.
05
OECD PISA 2022: U.S. 15-year-olds rank 34th in math globally.
06
CDC YRBS 2023: 30% of high school students rarely or never wear seatbelts, affecting school attendance.
07
EdWeek 2023: Chronic absenteeism affects 25% of students post-COVID.
08
ACT 2023: 43% of graduates meet none of college benchmarks.
09
Gallup Education 2022: 75% of teachers report teen engagement decline.
10
NSF 2023: Only 16% of high school seniors interested in STEM careers.
11
NCES 2022: 54% of public high schools offer AP courses.
12
Journal of School Health 2023: 20% of teens drop out due to mental health.
13
Brookings 2023: Learning loss equivalent to 0.5 years for teens post-pandemic.
14
RAND 2022: 35% of low-income teens lack home internet for homework.
15
NAEP 2023: Math scores dropped 13 points for 8th graders since 2019.
16
College Board AP 2023: 58% pass rate for exams among participants.
17
Hechinger Report 2023: 14% of teens are overage for grade level.
18
Education Trust 2022: Black teens graduate at 79% vs 89% white peers.
19
PISA 2022: 15% of U.S. teens low performers in science.
20
NCES ELS 2023: 65% of teens plan college, but only 40% prepared.
21
Journal of Adolescent Research 2022: 28% of teens report bullying affecting grades.
22
U.S. Dept of Ed 2023: 90% of teens have access to school counseling, but waitlists long.
23
NWEA 2023: Reading growth stalled for 70% of middle schoolers.
24
Harvard GSE 2022: 50% of teachers say teens lack basic skills.
25
IES 2023: 22% of 12th graders below basic reading level.
26
Pew 2023: 51% of teens distracted by phones in class daily.
Interpretation
Education Interpretation
Our teens are graduating with smartphones smarter than their SAT scores, increasingly distracted and disengaged in a system where passing rates mask profound gaps in learning, safety, and equity.
02 · Category
Mental Health26 stats
01
NIMH data shows 31.9% of adolescents aged 12-17 experienced an anxiety disorder in 2021.
02
CDC 2023 YRBS: 42% of high school girls and 14.3% of boys felt persistently sad or hopeless.
03
Pew Research 2022: 46% of teens say social media has a negative effect on peers' mental health.
04
JAMA Pediatrics 2021: Suicide rate among youth aged 10-24 increased 57% from 2007-2018.
05
NAMI 2023: 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder (50% not receiving treatment).
06
WHO 2022: 14% of adolescents globally have a mental disorder.
07
CDC 2021: 22% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide.
08
Child Mind Institute 2023: 37% of high school students report stress impacting academic performance.
09
Journal of Adolescent Health 2022: 13.3% of teens have depression diagnosis.
10
SAMHSA 2022 NSDUH: 16.5% of youth aged 12-17 had major depressive episode in past year.
11
APA 2023 Stress in America: 73% of teens report anxiety due to school pressure.
12
Lancet Psychiatry 2021: COVID-19 increased adolescent depression by 25% globally.
13
CDC MMWR 2023: 10% of high school students attempted suicide in past year.
14
Mental Health America 2023: Youth suicide ideation up 62% from 2011-2021.
15
Pediatrics 2022: 24.8% of adolescents screen positive for PTSD.
16
KFF 2023: 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 10 boys considered suicide in past year.
17
JAACAP 2023: ADHD prevalence in teens at 9.4%.
18
NIMH 2022: Bipolar disorder affects 2.9% of adolescents.
19
CDC 2023: 57% of teen girls and 29% of boys experienced poor mental health past year.
20
RAND 2022: 20% of teens report cyberbullying linked to depression.
21
JAMA Network Open 2023: Eating disorder prevalence doubled to 22.5 per 100,000 teens post-COVID.
22
HHS 2023: Only 28% of youth with major depression receive treatment.
23
Gallup 2022: 33% of Gen Z teens report daily stress.
24
The Trevor Project 2023: 41% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide.
25
NEJM 2022: OCD affects 1-2% of adolescents.
26
CDC 2021: Persistent sadness increased to 44% among teen girls.
Interpretation
Mental Health Interpretation
These grim statistics collectively paint a portrait of a generation navigating an unrelenting internal storm, where anxiety and sadness are not outliers but the forecast.
03 · Category
Physical Health30 stats
01
According to the CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 21.9% of high school students were obese (BMI ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex).
02
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that 15.1% of adolescents aged 12-19 had high blood pressure in 2017-2018.
03
CDC data from 2021 shows 57.4% of high school students did not consume fruit or vegetables during the previous day.
04
A 2022 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 42% of teens aged 13-18 reported insufficient sleep (less than 8 hours on school nights).
05
NIH data indicates 19.3% of U.S. teens aged 12-19 were physically inactive in 2019.
06
The WHO reports that globally, 80% of adolescents do not meet recommended physical activity levels (less than 60 minutes daily).
07
CDC's 2021 survey revealed 14.4% of high school girls and 2.9% of boys experienced asthma attacks in the past year.
08
A 2023 JAMA Pediatrics study showed 16.1% of teens had prediabetes in 2015-2016 NHANES data.
09
USDA data from 2019 indicates 76% of adolescents consumed sugary drinks on a given day.
10
The American Heart Association notes 1 in 5 teens has elevated cholesterol levels.
11
CDC reports 8.2% of high school students had a concussion in the past year (2021).
12
A 2022 Pediatrics study found 22% of teens aged 13-17 reported chronic pain.
13
NHANES 2017-2020 data shows 4.4% of adolescents had diagnosed hypertension.
14
WHO Global School Health Survey 2019: 14% of teens worldwide had vision impairment.
15
CDC 2021: 19.1% of high school students had seriously considered suicide, but for physical health proxy, 12% reported poor health.
16
A 2021 Lancet study: 81 million adolescents globally obese in 2016.
17
American Academy of Pediatrics 2023: 30% of teens have iron deficiency anemia.
18
CDC NHANES: 10.5% of teens aged 12-19 had low bone density in 2013-2014.
19
Sports & Fitness Industry Association 2022: Only 26% of teens meet daily physical activity guidelines.
20
Journal of Adolescent Health 2021: 35% of U.S. teens screen positive for metabolic syndrome.
21
CDC 2023: 4.5% of high school students currently smoke cigarettes daily.
22
NIH 2022: Vaping prevalence among high schoolers at 10% in 2022.
23
Pediatrics 2020: 18% of teens have eczema.
24
CDC 2021: 7.4% of high school students had diabetes.
25
WHO 2022: 1.4 billion adolescents at risk for hearing loss from unsafe listening practices.
26
NHANES 2015-2018: 42.4% of adolescents had dental caries experience.
27
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2021: 9% of U.S. teens have clinical vitamin D deficiency.
28
CDC BRFSS youth data 2022: 22% of teens rarely or never wear seatbelts.
29
Injury Prevention 2023: 15% of teens sustain sports-related injuries annually.
30
JAMA 2022: 5.2% of adolescents hospitalized for eating disorders in 2020.
Interpretation
Physical Health Interpretation
The statistics paint a grim portrait of a generation being slowly undermined by a perfect storm of poor nutrition, chronic sleep deprivation, and profound physical inactivity, setting the stage for a public health crisis of preventable adult diseases taking root in teenage bodies.
More related reading
04 · Category
Risky Behaviors24 stats
01
CDC 2023: 16% of high school students currently smoke tobacco products.
02
CDC YRBS 2023: 30% of high school students had sexual intercourse before age 13.
03
FBI UCR 2022: Teens aged 13-17 account for 12% of arrests.
04
NHTSA 2022: 19% of teen drivers in fatal crashes had alcohol.
05
SAMHSA 2022: 15.2% of 12-17 year olds used illicit drugs past month.
06
CDC 2023: 11% of high school students rode with drinking driver past month.
07
Guttmacher 2023: 40% of U.S. teens sexually active by age 17.
08
NIH 2022: 27.8% of 12th graders binge drank past month.
09
CDC WISQARS 2022: Unintentional injury death rate 22.6 per 100,000 for 15-19 year olds.
10
DOJ OJJDP 2023: 4% of teens involved in violent crime victimization.
11
CDC YRBS 2023: 8.8% of students carried a gun on school property.
12
MTF 2022: Marijuana use past year 29.8% among 10th graders.
13
Insurance Institute 2023: 50% of teen crash deaths from speeding.
14
Planned Parenthood 2022: 14% of teens use no contraception at first sex.
15
CDC 2023: 1.6% of high school students injected drugs past year.
16
FBI 2022: Juvenile arrests for property crime down 70% since 1990s peak.
17
NIDA 2023: Fentanyl overdoses tripled among teens 2019-2021.
18
AAP 2023: 22% of teens report fighting on school property.
19
CDC 2022: Teen birth rate 13.5 per 1,000 females aged 15-19.
20
Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2023: 14% rarely/never use condoms.
21
Bureau of Justice 2023: 7% of teens victims of serious violent crime.
22
MTF 2022: 3.3% of 8th graders misused prescription opioids.
23
NSC 2023: Teens 16-19 4x more likely to crash as adults.
24
CDC 2023: 20% of sexually active high schoolers have 4+ partners lifetime.
Interpretation
Risky Behaviors Interpretation
The statistics paint a portrait of American adolescence as a high-stakes gauntlet where teens are statistically more likely to encounter a deadly car crash, an opioid, or an unplanned pregnancy than they are to navigate a single, carefree year without serious risk.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Teen Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teen-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Teen Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/teen-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Teen Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teen-statistics.
Sources & references
59 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level