The kids are generally alright in Fraser North, which includes School District 43, but there are currents of trouble beneath the happy exterior.
And the biggest concern is how our teen girls are doing.
As noted by the McCreary Adolescent Health Survey, which was released last week, students are rating their overall health as good or excellent (81%) but females are not doing as well as males.
More young females report poor health than boys; more have lower self esteem compared to teen males; more report having one or more mental health conditions; more are feeling extreme stress, having suicidal thoughts or are harming themselves.
More girls than boys are also bullying or being bullied, and there seems to be a link between late-night cellphone use and texting and mental health concerns.
Is it time to pull the plug on these devices? Good luck with that. But girls may need more monitoring and support than boys for reasons that can't entirely be explained.
