(WXYZ) — As kids get ready to head back to school, parents are admitting they have concerns about the physical and mental health of America's kids.
It's reflected in a new poll from the University of Michigan's CS Mott Children's Hospital.
The national poll of children's health shows that 2/3 of parents believe children's physical health is declining. Four out of five parents say the mental health of the kids is getting worse.
In the poll, the top three concerns were social media use, excessive screen time and online safety.
I spoke with Dr. Susan Woolford, the co-director of the national poll, who told me 75% of the parents who responded to the poll expressed worry about social media and screen time.
"75% is a huge, huge number. Has that number been changing, as of late, or is that number, those concerns, still pretty, pretty steady?" I asked.
"They have seemed to have increased, because in 2023, when we asked parents the same type of question, we found that about two-thirds of parents were concerned about these issues, and now that's up to three-quarters of parents are concerned about these issues," Woolford said.
After internet safety, unhealthy diet and child/teen mental health round out the top five.
Woolford said this shows a specific trend when it comes to parental concerns.
"That is such an important point. So many of the issues raised by parents are linked to lifestyle choices, and they have an impact on both physical and mental health," she said. "And so, it's important for families and all those who support them, their physicians, their teachers, the community, to help families have healthier lifestyle choices so that children can live longer, healthier lives."
Nearly all of the parents who responded said at least one health topic was a major concern for kids and teens and almost 2/3 said 10 or more topics are a major problem.
