As the planet warms, a quieter crisis is unfolding in the minds of its youngest inhabitants. A sweeping review of 23 global studies has found that rising temperatures are measurably eroding children's mental health — each degree of heat adding strain, each heatwave amplifying risk by a quarter. The findings ask something of us beyond scientific acknowledgment: they ask whether the systems built to shelter children — schools, families, healthcare — are being redesigned swiftly enough to meet a future that is already arriving.
Global Study Links Rising Heat to Mental Health Decline in Children
Children and adolescents experience increased anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts during heatwaves, with disrupted education and outdoor activities affecting developmental wellbeing.