During Mental Health Awareness Month, experts, parents and health professionals are spotlighting the effects of screens and social media on young people's mental well-being.

This weekend, the University of Michigan is holding a Digital Wellness Symposium for middle schoolers and caregivers.

Liz Kolb, clinical associate professor of education technologies at the University of Michigan, who helped develop the symposium, said many young students have questions about being online and social media, but they do not always talk to their parents or caregivers about it.

She noted while reasons vary, some young people may worry about losing device privileges.

"For some, it's a way for them to have some positive growth and to stay connected with friends and family, especially during the pandemic," Kolb explained. "For others, they do struggle with some drama around their devices. And so it's important to be able to have these conversations."

The symposium will have opportunities for open and honest dialogue about Internet and social media use, as well as guest speakers; both experts on child wellness and U of M students.

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager turned whistleblower, leaked details last year, including about how the platform's algorithms can make body image issues worse for some young people.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, said it has adequate internal policies in place to protect users and kids, but Haugen pointed out there are no federal regulations.

"If we hold children's toys to a product liability standard -- where you need to demonstrate you did safety by design, you know -- why aren't we asking the same thing of these virtual products for children?" Haugen questioned. "Especially as we move into the land of the 'metaverse,' which is going to be an emergent harm."

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced the Kids Online Safety Act, to force tech platforms to, among other things, offer the option to disable certain addictive features and opt out of content chosen by algorithm. The bill has not seen action since February.

Kolb added it is also important to recognize healthy online behavior for one person may not be the same for another. She urged caregivers to engage in social media with their child.

"Sit down with them, set up the profile with them, talk about privacy settings, talk about notifications," Kolb outlined. "Maybe turning those off at certain hours, so it doesn't add stress levels, and do it with them. Get on TikTok even if you're not a TikTok-er, so that you can see what they're doing, and you can see what it's all about."

New Hampshire ranks second in the country on measures of child well-being, according to the new 2022 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The Granite State scores well for economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. However, researchers also found rising rates of attempted suicide nationally, especially for students of color or LGBTQ youths.

In New Hampshire, said Emma Sevigny, children's behavioral health policy coordinator with New Futures, a health advocacy nonprofit in Concord, said the new 988 mental-health hotline is paired with local crisis-intervention services.

"And with it, we have a rapid response team that's available to give support to kids in their communities," she said, "so if we can improve that system and ensure that there is sustainable funding for it, that's a huge step in the right direction."

The report ranked New Hampshire fourth in education, but it drops to seventh for the number of 3- and 4-year-olds not attending preschool. Sevigny said she would like to see more subsidies to help parents afford preschool.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president for external affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said she'd like to see Congress renew the extended Child Tax Credit that boosted the bottom line for low-income families during the pandemic, but was allowed to expire.

"It's incredibly important that decisionmakers seize the opportunity and the lessons learned during the COVID-19 period, when more resources were provided to families, so that we can make sure that every child has their basic needs met," she said, "that fewer children live in poverty, and that the overall well-being of children in this country increases."

In the legislative session next year, state lawmakers will decide whether to reauthorize the expansion of Medicaid, a lifeline for many struggling families.

Massachusetts ranks first in the nation for children's well-being, according to the 2022 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Experts gave the Bay State high marks for combating poverty and boosting educational achievement. However, the report also found an increase of more than 50% in children ages 3 to 17 with anxiety or depression between 2016 and 2020, nearly double the national average.

Mary McGeown, executive director of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said the state faces a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds.

"On any given day there are hundreds of kids who need inpatient care, who have gone to an emergency room seeking help," she said, "and they wait there days, weeks, and sometimes months for access to a bed."

Gov. Charlie Baker signed a comprehensive mental-health bill Wednesday that sets up a dashboard to manage psychiatric beds, invests in school-based behavioral health and more.

McGeown credited Massachusetts' top overall score to its success in getting almost all children covered by health insurance, as well as targeted supports to schools and low-income families during the pandemic.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president for external affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said the nation's recovery remains very uneven, with continued economic hardship, both in highly urban and rural areas.

"Enacting policies that we know can lift children out of poverty and also can secure the financial security of low-income families," she said. "Things like expansion of the Child Tax Credit. Putting resources in the hands of low-income families, so that they can provide for the basic needs of their children."

The report recommends expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, which provides cash supports to low-income families.

Minnesota once again gets a high ranking among states for child well-being, but an annual report says the state's disparities remain a challenge, with marginalized families seeing lasting impacts from the pandemic.

This year's Annie E Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book focuses on concerning mental health trends that have surfaced around the country. Nine percent of high schoolers overall reported attempting suicide in the most recent data year, along with 12% of Black students.

Deb Fitzpatrick, director of policy and research for Children's Defense Fund Minnesota, said these disparities are being seen within the state.

"This isn't just going to solve itself because the pandemic is in the rearview mirror for many people," she said. "We know that we had some challenges before the pandemic, and we're going to continue to see those going forward."

Fitzpatrick said issues such as economic stability and mental health go hand-in-hand, and in families that lost income during the pandemic, the children are likely to experience added stress. Overall, Minnesota ranked third in the report, and landed in the top ten for such categories as economic well-being, education and health.

State leaders did make some mental-health investments in the recent legislative session. But advocates have said more can be done to help kids, with a large surplus still available. The Casey Foundation's vice president for external affairs, Leslie Boissiere, added that federal policymakers could help by looking at past successes.

"The expansion of the Child Tax Credit lifted millions of children out of poverty," she said. "When policymakers enact policies that we know lift families out of poverty, then children do well."

The temporary expansion of the credit, which included monthly payments, expired at the start of the year. There have been calls to make it permanent, but partisan gridlock in Congress has prevented that from happening.