Utah youth survey reveals decline in depression, substance use

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah students report fewer symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide, and fewer students say they have used alcohol or drugs compared with two years ago, according to a new statewide survey.

New data from the 2025 Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) survey, released Thursday, also shows more students are eating meals as a family compared to the last survey in 2023. More than 78,000 students from across the state participated, a 52% increase over last time, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The survey asked sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th graders a variety of questions relating to mental health, substance use, school safety and antisocial behavior.

"For a while, we had seen trends continue to go in an opposite direction of where we wanted them to be, and for this year, the good news is we've started to see a lot of those trends reverse," said Rob Timmerman, a prevention administrator for the department. "We saw a 28% decrease in the number of students who seriously considered suicide ... and students in all grades have also reported less coming up with a plan for suicide. Those two are really, really good things ... so we're really excited about that."

Teen mental health has been a growing concern for policymakers in Utah and nationally, as more studies have linked social media use to declining mental health outcomes for young people. A 2023 advisory from the U.S. surgeon general found social media can pose a "profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents."

Indicators of suicide, self-harm and social isolation declined compared to 2023 in most categories in Utah, according to the latest Student Health and Risk Prevention survey. The share of students who seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months dropped from 17.6% to 12.6%, while those who say they actually attempted suicide during that same time period went from 7.3% to 5.6%.

The share of students who said they felt high or moderate depressive symptoms also dropped compared with recent years, while those who said they felt no depressive symptoms increased.

Nearly all students surveyed reported using a cellphone in the past month. More than 40% of students said they checked their phone at least once every 15 minutes and 39% said they check it every 30 to 60 minutes.

A majority of students said screen time interferes with sleep and homework, while nearly half said it interferes with time spent with family. More than a third also said it gets in the way of physical exercise.

When it comes to social media use, a majority of students said it had neither a negative nor a positive effect on their grades and family relationships, but 43% said it made them feel worse about their bodies.

More than 80% of students said their parents had at least some rules about screen time, but only half said those rules were almost or often enforced and nearly a third said they were enforced only rarely or never.

"So, their parents have rules but are not enforcing them," Timmerman said.

The department said parents and educators can use the data to improve outcomes for students. It recommended setting clear expectations for screen time and substance use.

Timmerman noted that children who eat meals regularly with family members have better outcomes in other areas. If there's one thing parents should take from the report, it's to be intentional about eating as a family more often.

"The more you eat together, the greater the outcomes are," he said. "That's why we do the surveys, to get this information from students, to get their viewpoint, to get their voice, to then be able in families, in schools, to come up with things that we can do to help students out to be as safe and healthy as possible."

Utah students were less likely to report having tried alcohol, cigarettes, vaping or drugs. The survey did find small upticks in the share of students who used nicotine pouches — from 1.4% to 3.1%.

Of those who said they consumed alcohol at least once in the past year, students said they were most likely to try it at home — with or without parental permission.

While it's too early to say whether negative trends have completely reversed, Timmerman said he is optimistic about the results and hopes the survey in 2027 finds similar positive movement.

"We're able to say a lot of these things have been trending down and may no longer be trending down," he said. "We'll see what the next administration (of the survey) brings to be able to offer things that are maybe a little bit more conclusive."

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