Psychosocial Challenges for Children and Youth Over the Past 50 Years

Many international organizations have devoted much effort to improving the lives of children globally, with many advances in health and welfare since the end of the Second World War. However, over the past 60 years, many new threats and challenges impacting children and their families have emerged, which are markedly different than the original threats posed by famine, poverty, disease, and lack of economic development. These are reflected in worsening global mental health indicators for children. This review highlights the contributions of a number of these emerging threats: Armed conflict, climate change, migration and refugee status, discrimination and xenophobia, technology and social media, consumerism, human trafficking, lack of access to education, social and economic pressures on families, the impact of the recent COVID pandemic, and lack of access to mental health services. The authors highlight the implications of these challenges to childhood mental health and well-being globally, proposing some international approaches to incentivizing nations to address these challenges through evidence-based policies and coordinate global responses.