Researcher Blames High-Pressure Schools, Not Screens, for Rising Youth Anxiety

Peter Gray, a psychology professor at Boston College, claims that the escalating anxiety and depression seen in teenagers stem mainly from high-pressure school systems, not from the amount of time they spend online. Citing studies from the 1990s onward, he notes that students consistently identify school as their top source of stress, and that rates of self-harm rise during the academic year while falling in summer months.

Gray argues the 2009 Core Curriculum turned most U.S. schools into test-focused institutions, prioritizing college admission over practical life skills. He also links this educational model to poor job prospects for recent graduates and growing political disaffection among Gen Z. The author’s book, “Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety,” expands on these points and challenges the prevailing “screen-time panic.”