Hello, and welcome to Five Things, I'm Dana Taylor.

Today is Thursday, September 14, 2023, and this is a special episode of Five Things.

Every generation of teens grapples with its own set of unique issues, but today's young

people have been dealt a triple whammy.

School shootings continue to skyrocket, bullying on social media has exploded, and then there

were all of the challenges that came with the pandemic.

Rate of anxiety and depression among young people and adolescents have reached record

highs across the country.

It's so bad the surge in general recently called kids declining mental health, the defining

public health crisis of our time.

As another school year gets underway, we ask, how do we protect our kids?

Our guest, Dr. Lisa Demore, is the host of the popular Ask Lisa podcast, which gives

guidance to parents raising teenagers.

She's also the author of three New York Times bestsellers, including her latest, the

emotional lives of teenagers.

Thank you for joining us, Dr. Demore.

Thank you for having me.

I'm honored to be with you.

So the surge in general's quote from this past June calling kids mental health, the defining

public health crisis of our time is a shocking one.

Do you agree with him?

Well, given that it is what I care about more than anything in the world, which is the mental

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