Most parents have watched a teen pull away before a big test or stay up late scrolling. Some of that is just growing up. But for a surprising share of kids, the knot in the stomach is something closer to an illness, and it rarely goes away on its own.
About one in six American teenagers is now living with moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, according to a nationally representative study published October 12, 2026, in JAMA Pediatrics.
In a classroom of 30 kids, that works out to roughly five students carrying real anxiety through their school day.
Researchers at the University of Connecticut looked at responses from 15,730 adolescents aged 12 to 20, drawn from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. They used a standard screening questionnaire called the GAD-7 to sort the teens by severity.
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What moderate to severe anxiety looks like at this age
Teen anxiety is more than nerves before a test. Teens scoring in the moderate or severe range typically report persistent worry, trouble sleeping, a racing heart, muscle tension and feeling on edge most days for weeks at a time.
The gap between girls and boys is wide. Among teenage girls, nearly 11% reported severe anxiety symptoms. Among boys, the figure was closer to 4%. Moderate anxiety followed the same pattern, with girls more than twice as likely as boys to be affected.
The emotional toll on teens with severe anxiety is heavy. Nearly two in three also met the criteria for severe depression. About half had thought about suicide in the past year. Nearly one in three reported substance use.
Why so many teens never get help
Despite how heavy the symptoms are, a large share of these kids get no professional care. About 41% of teens with severe anxiety received no mental health treatment in the past year. Among those with moderate symptoms, nearly half went without.
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Study author Greg Rhee, a professor of public health sciences at the University of Connecticut, pointed to a mix of barriers behind the gap.
Stigma, a shortage of child mental health specialists, insurance and cost hurdles, and limited access to care that fits a family's language and culture all play a part.
The study found that boys, Black teenagers and uninsured teenagers were the least likely to get help, even when symptoms were severe.
The findings land against a wider backdrop. The World Health Organization reported in 2022 that global rates of anxiety and depression climbed 25% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with young people hit hardest.
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What parents can do right now
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all children ages 8 to 18 be screened for anxiety at routine checkups, even those who show no obvious symptoms. The screen is usually a short questionnaire filled out at the visit.
Signs worth raising with a pediatrician include a teen who avoids school, friends or activities they used to enjoy. Other red flags are frequent stomachaches or headaches with no clear cause, trouble sleeping, and a sudden drop in grades or appetite.
Parents who are worried about a teen can start with the child's pediatrician, who can run the GAD-7 screener and refer to a specialist if needed. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text 24 hours a day.
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This article is made and published by Aksel Kryhlmand, who may have used AI in the preparation.