[scythe]

>Is it possible these kids now just have a front row seat to witness their generation being systematically torn down in front of them before they even have a chance to get a footing?

First, that doesn't explain the gender effect.

It doesn't explain why the crises of the early 2000s didn't cause a similar problem. In three-ish years we saw the Asian financial crisis, the dotcom bust, Bush v. Gore, 9/11, the Afghanistan War, the Patriot Act and the Iraq War with no similar effects on teen mental health.

It should show a strong correlation between news — not social media — consumption and mental health which remains to be demonstrated.

>However, even though my home life sucked, society as a whole felt much better than it does currently and I still wanted nothing to do with it.

"Everything was better when you were twelve"