What two problems will youth face in 2026 and beyond? If trends do not change, the two primary problems of youth will face in 2026 and beyond will be school shootings and youth suicide.
More than 25 years after the school shooting at Columbine High School, school shootings in the U.S., school shootings are going down after a high of 350 in 2023. You read that correctly!
A school shooting is defined as every time a gun is brandished, fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims (including zero), time, day or the week, or reason, including gang shootings, domestic violence, shootings at sports events.
In terms of suicide, it is now the second leading cause of death for individuals aged 10-14 and the third for those aged 15-24 in the United States. Suicides just keep going up!
Children's hospitals have seen a massive increase in emergency department visits for suicide attempts and self-injury among children aged 5-18 between 2016 and 2022, highlighting the ongoing crisis.
Most concerning are the reports that have highlighted the dangers of generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. Some parents have testified that the technology encouraged their children's suicide plans.
Listen as host Tim Jordan interviews Dr. Lisa Pescara Kovach, a true expert on the problems and youth.
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Resources for this podcast:
- The University of Toledo: https://www.utoledo.edu/
- The Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Education utoledo.edu/jhc/
- Lisa Pescara Kovach’s page at UToledo. https://www.utoledo.edu/jhc/about/faculty/lisa-pescara-kovach/
- Lisa Pescara Kovach’s page at Routledge Publisher. https://www.routledge.com/authors/i23262-lisa-pescara-kovach
- Book Co-Authored by Dr. Kovach: White Supremacist Violence: Understanding the Resurgence and Stopping the Spread (2023). Routledge Press, Taylor and Francis Group. https://www.amazon.com/White-Supremacist-Violence-Brian-Brunt/dp/1032058854
- UToledo Center for Education in Mass Violence & Suicide utoledo.edu/jhc/centers/mass-violence-suicide/
- The Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System (YRBS) – The CDC - 2023 https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/results/2023-yrbs-results.html
- Preventing School Shootings. https://violence.chop.edu/types-violence-involving-youth/school-shootings/preventing-school-shootings
- Article: (2025). Addressing Pediatric Suicide. The latest solutions, resources and data on the current mental health crisis for children's hospitals and health systems. Children’s Hospital Association https://www.childrenshospitals.org/content/behavioral-health/summary/the-state-of-pediatric-suicide
- Report: The Facts on Mental Illness and Mass Shootings. https://www.factcheck.org/2019/10/the-facts-on-mental-illness-and-mass-shootings/
- Research: Is There a Link Between Mental Health and Mass Shootings? https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/mass-shootings-and-mental-illness?
- Article: (2022). Ghaedi, M. Mass shootings and mental illness: It’s complicated. In DW, In Focus, Society, United States of America. https://www.dw.com/en/mass-shootings-and-mental-illness-its-complicated/a-62388111
- Blog: What Do We Do About the Gun Problem in America? https://1795group.com/what-do-we-do-about-the-gun-problem-in-america/
- Podcast: Season 1, Episode 11. When Gun Violence Becomes Personal. An interview with Rhonda Hart. https://1795group.com/episode/episode-11-when-gun-violence-becomes-personal-an-interview-with-rhonda-hart/
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