(film reel clattering) - Welcome to today's Ethnic Media Services Zoom news conference.

I'm Pilar Marrero, associate editor of Ethnic Media Services and the moderator for today.

Today's briefing focuses on data [soft background music] pointing to a worrying trend.

Children and adolescents have been dying at increasing rates in the United States over the last few years, and COVID has little to do with it.

Between 2019 and 2021, all-cause child mortality rose by 10.7% in one year and 8.3% in the following year, the largest increase in decades.

Leading causes of death are suicide, homicide, drug overdoses, and car accidents, as well as guns.

Guns are an important protagonist in a young person's risk of dying.

Gun deaths among U.S. children rose 50% in two years.

And so far, this year there have been at least 42 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 17 deaths and 32 injuries nationwide.

Accordingly, life expectancy in this country has taken a downturn.

Speakers will present the latest research on the downturn in life expectancy for American kids and the causes that are driving these phenomenon.

Our speakers include Steven H. Woolf, medical doctor, professor of Family Medicine and Population Health at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine; Kim Parker: she's director of [background music fades] Social and Demographic Trends at Pew Research Center; Mayra Alvarez, president at The Children's Partnership.

We are happy to hear from Dr. Steven Woolf.

Dr. Woolf, welcome.

- Thank you.

What's interesting about the panel is, I think we're coming at this from different disciplines, all with a shared interest in the same issue.

So, my comments are coming from the perspective of medicine and public health.

I'm a physician, and have spent many years studying health trends in the United States, mainly focused on worrying trends in adult mortality and health.

And, the general notion that we've had for many years when we've talked about these disturbing trends in adult health is that there's generally been good news when it relates to pediatric mortality.

Death rates in infants, children and teenagers in most industrialized countries have been falling for many years, thanks to progress in pediatric medicine and in preventing the leading causes of injury deaths in children, which has historically been car accidents.

However, recent data suggests that "all-cause mortality" which is the term that we use in epidemiology to refer to deaths from all causes, have begun increasing in children ages 1 to 19.

This is very unusual.

It's not occurred very much at all in the last half century and the increase that's recently occurred in 2020 and 2021, and one might be tempted to think that this had something to do with COVID-19.

That's obviously the time period when this occurred.

But, our analysis found that COVID-19 actually explained relatively little of this increase.

So, the four causes of death that have largely been responsible for this increase in all-cause mortality are homicide, suicide, drug overdoses, and car accidents.

Between 2019 and 2021, deaths in those ages, 10 to 19, increased by 39% for homicides, 114% for drug overdose deaths, and 16% for car accidents.

Firearms played a dominant role in this increase.

They accounted for about half of the increase in all-cause mortality that occurred at ages 1 to 19.

Firearm deaths at ages 1 to 19 increased by 41%.

Males, across all racial ethnic groups, are at higher risk of dying from these deaths than females.

So, when we think about the intersection between race and gender, we discover even more dramatic differences.

So, the homicide rate among Black males was more than 60 times that of white females.

So, these ratios are very dramatic in terms of their disproportion.

The racial groups at risk of other kinds of injury deaths differ.

For example, their risk of dying in car accidents was highest for American Indian and Alaska Native youth.

The rate of dying from suicides was highest in Black and American Indian youth, and those rates were about twice that of suicides in white youth.

For drug overdose deaths, white youth have typically been the racial group that has experienced the highest death rate, but overdose death rates in Black and Hispanic populations have been climbing dramatically recently, not just in youth but also in adults.

And, by 2020, those groups had reached statistical equivalence with the white population.

So, basically the gap has been largely eliminated that had once existed before.

It basically means the probability of young people reaching age 20 is now decreasing.

So, our children are less likely to become adults.

So, we can have our debates about gun policy among adults, but if we get to the point where our children are less likely to reach adulthood, then the need for sensible gun reform cannot be greater.

Because, we're now losing our most cherished population.

So, that's policy priority number one, is guns.

Number two, the mental health crisis in young people.

The fact that suicide rates were increasing as long ago as 2007 is an indication, along with other factors that we need to really address, the kinds of depression, anxiety, and other mental stresses that our young people are facing these days.

And, they're leading not only to fatal outcomes like suicide but a lot of morbidity from psychiatric and mental health issues.

So, I'll stop there and let my colleagues speak, and I thank you for your attention.

- Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Woolf.

We welcome Kim Parker from Pew Research Center, director of Social and Demographic Trends.

Hi, Kim.

- Hi!

Thank you, Pilar.

And thank you, Dr. Woolf.

I have to say first as a disclaimer, I am not a public health expert, nor do I have a lot of expertise in crime statistics or gun deaths.

This is my main area of expertise, is in public opinion and demographic research.

But, this is a trend.

This data was so striking to us and this is obviously a trend that's very much in the national conversation right now.

So, that's why the Pew Research Center has, you know, done this bit of analysis.

So, I'm gonna-- some of the data that I have to share is a little bit repetitive with what Dr. Woolf shared.

So, I'll try not to go into too much detail.

I've got sort of two sets of data to highlight.

One is data from this Centers for Disease Control, the CDC, and specifically it's drawn from mortality statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics.

And, that data comes from death certificates.

Just to give you a little bit of background about where the data's coming from.

And then, I'm gonna talk a little bit about the survey of parents that we did.

Again, this was conducted last fall among parents nationwide a very large sample where we were able to break the responses down by racial and ethnic groups, gender, income, all kinds of different demographics.

And, we had one question, one series of questions in the survey that asked parents about the types of concerns that they face, that children are facing these days, the challenges, and to what degree parents are worried about these things.

Now, the top concern for parents by far was mental health.

And, we found that about 76% of parents said they were at least somewhat concerned that one of their children would struggle with anxiety or depression at some point.

And, 40% of parents were extremely or very concerned about that.

And so, this just gives you kind of some context for the environment in which parents and children are operating these days.

And, I think it's very much related to some of these findings about mortality and particularly gun deaths.

So, when we ask parents specifically how concerned they are that a child of theirs might be shot at some point, there we found that almost half of parents were at least somewhat concerned about that.

And, 22% of parents were extremely or very concerned that a child of theirs might be shot.

And, we found wide differences there by race as well.

But, the patterns are a little different from what we see in the CDC data.

So, in our survey, we found Hispanic parents were the most likely to express a high degree of concern about a child of theirs being shot.

42% of Hispanic parents said they were extremely or very worried about that.

About a third of Black parents expressed that same level of concern, and the shares for white and Asian parents were lower: 23%, and 12% for Asian parents.

We also found big differences by community type among parents.

So, parents living in urban areas were significantly more likely to express a high level of concern about their children or child being shot, than parents in rural or suburban areas.

And, we also found a very wide income gap with as many as 40% of lower-income parents saying that they were extremely worried about their child being shot, compared to much lower shares among middle, and only 10% of higher-income parents expressed a similar view.

So, you can see there that place and setting really matters in terms of the types of dangers and concerns that parents are dealing with these days.

And, I know as Dr. Woolf said, that, you know mass shootings and school shootings aren't the main driver of these trends.

And, they're not the biggest cause of gun deaths among children, but they still are very top of mind for parents and children.

And, our survey tapped into that a little bit as well.

So, we asked parents how concerned they were that there might be a school shooting in a school that one of their children attends, and almost 70% of parents are at least somewhat concerned that this could happen in their child's school.

And, 32% said that they were extremely or very concerned about this.

And so, this isn't saying that they're worried their child will be shot in a school shooting, but that they're worried a school shooting could occur in their school which will obviously impact their child, you know, one way or another.

And, again there, we found Hispanic parents really standing out.

50% of them expressed a high level of concern about this compared to 40% of Black parents and smaller shares of Asian and white parents.

So, that's kind of an overview of what we found with regard to gun violence in our survey of parents.

And, I'll stop there.

I'm happy to answer any questions that people might have.

- Thank you, Kim.

There was a question in the chat about whether or not you have granulated data on mental health concerns of Asian parents.

- Hmm, let's see.

(hesitates) I don't have it offhand, but I bet I can-?

- Yeah.

You can just send that to us later, maybe.

- Yeah.

I can find it real quick.

I know that age-- [computer mouse scrolling] the mental health concerns-- Let's see.

I have it right here in front of me.

(hesitates) Asian parents were somewhat less concerned than parents from other racial and ethnic groups.

Hispanic and white parents were equally concerned about mental health challenges for their children: about 42% saying they were extremely or very concerned; about a third of Black parents; and then, 28% of Asian parents.

That difference is probably not statistically significant, but I think it's probably safe to say that Asian parents are a little bit less likely to be concerned about these issues than white parents are according to our survey.

- And, what does that reflect?

Just exposure to the issue?

I mean, obviously all parents are concerned about-- (chuckles) - [Kim] Right.

You mean, what does the racial-- What do the racial differences reflect?

- [Pilar] Yeah.

- I'm not sure.

We had found-- we asked a similar question back in 2015, and we found kind of a similar pattern with white parents and higher-income parents being more likely to express high levels of concern about mental health.

And, actually in this survey we found those gaps were narrowed a little bit.

So, I think it's elevated in importance and the level of awareness around these issues is heightened for parents across racial and ethnic groups as well as income groups.

- I am-- it is striking that mass shootings and school shootings are not the main driver of this trend.

You would think they are, because of media coverage.

And, we are media.

So, (laughs) we do the same thing sometimes!

Are there any trends in your data of-- you know?

So, what are the main drivers of, you know, the increased number of shootings?

- Of gun deaths?

- [Pilar] Yeah, gun deaths.

- Yeah, Dr. Woolf's probably better qualified to answer that.

I think he might have alluded to it a little bit earlier.

- I mean, we've basically become inured to the idea that every night on the evening news, we're gonna hear about which shootings occurred in our cities.

Those numbers add up.

New York, Chicago, Boston; We can go through the list of all of our big cities and small towns.

These shootings in aggregate are responsible for this vast death toll.

That's not to minimize the horrific tragedies that are occurring with school shootings, which to my understanding are increasing in frequency.

But still, in terms of the sheer numbers, they are not accounting for the largest proportion of deaths in young people.

- I'm gonna invite Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children's Partnership.

- Hi, everyone.

My name is Mayra Alvarez.

I'm president at The Children's Partnership.

Children's Partnership is a statewide advocacy organization in California, working to advance child health equity.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to respond to this important panel and be a part of this critically important discussion for the well-being of our children, all children, but particularly those most heavily impacted by what these numbers are.

It is understood that children deserve special status and need to be protected and taken care of, not only by their parents, but by all of us in society.

Yet, as we consider the numbers shared today, it seems that the universal value that our children are precious is being left behind.

Child mortality in the United States had been in decline for decades, thanks to incredible advances in modern medicine.

But, this trend dramatically reversed between 2019 and 2021.

Child and adolescent mortality rates in our country rose by 20%, the largest increase in the last 50 years.

And, why?

This stark increase is primarily due to the growing death toll from injuries.

But, let me be clear on what injuries are.

Again, deaths from homicide, accidental drug overdoses, motor vehicle accidents, and suicide.

Suicide between kids ages 10 to 19.

We really have reached a tipping point where these deaths are so high that it's offsetting many, many, many of the incredible gains our country, our world, has made in treating pediatric diseases.

And, I wanna emphasize to you all that our children are dying from preventable causes.

These are manmade reasons why our children are dying, not biological.

And, what it means is that our kids, kids like my little girl, they're not gonna reach adulthood.

This conversation, these numbers, they are a wake-up call.

A wake-up call for all of us; a wake-up call to ensure that we are all taking care of our kids, and that we're considering the important considerations for specific populations of children.

We need to understand the causes, and address them immediately to protect our kids.

And, based on the data, the multiple causes are clear.

So, should be our actions and response.

As we consider how to protect our children, there's no quick answer, but a consideration of how all of us have this role to play in creating supportive environments that every single one of our children needs to feel valued, to feel loved, and to feel like they belong.

Parents and families have a role to play, caregivers and educators, policymakers and community leaders.

And every single one of us, it is imperative that we consider the interconnectedness of many, many issues grapplings family's ability to raise healthy, thriving children.

So, when we consider what to do, it is this holistic approach that must be considered in order to support the well-being of our kids.

So, I'm gonna start with the most obvious.

It's about the guns.

It's always about the guns.

I'm gonna let my colleague Kelly Sampson really speak to this issue, given the expertise that she brings to this call.

But, I couldn't talk about potential responses to these numbers without also emphasizing the importance of what we need to do to improve gun safety in this country, to pass common-sense gun reforms that allow our children to live in homes, to live in communities, where they can grow into thriving adults.

I also want to emphasize that we must strengthen access to critical public benefit programs.

We're on a call about children dying, and I'm talking about public benefit programs?

Absolutely!

We must make it easier for families to enroll in programs and access the health, the food, the housing and other supports that they need.

Because, all of those issues that impact the mental health of our families- the stress, the depression, the greater anxiety that comes when parents can't afford a child's meal, when parents can't afford to pay their rent, when parents can't take their child to the doctor- those are all issues that are interconnected and related to the struggle of poverty and what poverty is doing to contribute to these numbers today.

So, providing access to more mental health services and health services, and making our public programs work for families, so that they don't have to jump through additional barriers or hoops in order to get the services that they need.

This helps respond to the challenges that we know many parents have gone through.

An investment in community-centered mental health services and community-defined practices to really think about what does healing look like for our communities?

How can we center the experiences of our young people, of our families, in order to access the services that they need?

Youth peer-to-peer programs are one example that young people themselves are saying they need in order to support each other.

And then, also robustly fund and access and improve access to mental health services for children that have been exposed to gun violence.

As has been heard today, this disproportionately impacts kids of color and kids in low-income communities.

Recognizing the responsibility to center the needs of young people, we must focus our investments in overall social, emotional and mental wellness that really is found in community-based programs.

In thinking about how we can specifically target the well-being of our kids most impacted by gun violence, we have to think about what that looks like to provide community-informed, trauma-informed services.

And, these types of investments happen at the local level, at the state level, and most definitely at the federal level.

One of those is really integrating a community health workforce and thinking about how community health workers can help families access those services and understand the programs that can better improve the safety and well-being of their kids.

It is a multifaceted approach that is needed in order to be responsive to these challenges and to the numbers today.

And, I'm looking forward to engaging in the conversation to speak more about that.

- Thank you, Mayra.

I just wanna point out to my colleagues that a lot of questions are being answered in the chat.

So, I'm not gonna ask those out loud.

So, just take a look at the chat.

The chat will be sent to you afterwards, as well.

Okay.

Mayra, there were a couple of questions in the chat about the role of social media and violent video games on children, and, you know, on suicide rates, for example.

What's your take on that?

What's your opinion about that?

- It's a really great question, and I think it's important to keep in mind that social media, like many other aspects of our society, has both pros and cons.

It's really important for parents to be engaged in their child's life, and be able to be more informed about what is happening on social media: "what are the types of conversations?"

So, it's not a quick, easy fix to say that it's just social media, it's just video games, that is impacting the well-being of our children.

And, really emphasize the fact that a child's ability to have a safe space to talk about things that they are experiencing: conversations that may be worrying them, bullying that may be happening, is particularly important.

Whether that safe space is with a parent, or with an adult at school, or with youth peer leaders, that is open, right, to interpretation and availability.

But, what's important is that we offer those spaces to our young people because I think it's--?

You know, the social media impacts, there continues to be new data about the impacts of what that does.

And, while we can absolutely point to negative impacts of social media there are also lots of information related to the positive impacts of social media and the ability to reach resources where they may not be available to young people.

So, considering the pros and cons is necessary and really recognizing that it is not just one quick fix in order to solve these types of challenges.

- So, I wanna go around once more to every one of you with final thoughts.

- Well, I thank my colleagues for wonderful presentations and I've tried to throw in a few other ideas in the chat.

I think we are reaching a real threat point now.

I'm old enough to have watched this problem unfold over many decades.

And, after Sandy Hook, really became very pessimistic that we could achieve change because the feeling was, if that's not enough to move change, what is?

I'm hopeful that the next generation and the increasing attention that we're currently focusing on the issue might motivate politicians to pass common sense gun control measures.

We need this to protect the health of everyone.

But, at this singular moment where we're seeing the chances of our young people reaching adulthood dropping for the first time in half a century at least, one hopes that, that particular angle might motivate a common interest on both sides of the aisle to save our children.

- Thank you so much for your research and your presence in today's event, Dr. Woolf.

We really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Kim Parker, from you?

- Thank you, Pilar.

Just as a disclaimer, the Pew Research Center is nonpartisan non-advocacy.

So, I can't take, you know, take a stand on these issues or advocate for policies or outcomes.

But, I do just wanna underscore the importance of this topic and, in particular, wanna thank my fellow panelists for the very important work that you're doing.

And, our mission at Pew is to provide a foundation of facts to help inform the public, and to inform decision makers and stakeholders in these spaces.

So, hopefully the data that we're able to supply and some of the data that I've shared in the chat will be helpful in terms of moving forward in a positive way on these issues.

- We appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Kim Parker from Pew Research Center.

Mayra?

Last words?

[background music] - Thank you so much for the opportunity to join you today, and for this important conversation that highlights that too many of our children are dying sooner than they need to.

This is a collective effort to ensure all of our children can transition into healthy adults to be productive members of society that we all need them to be.

Our children, when it comes to gun violence, have witnessed shooting after shooting.

And, it's these tragedies that are not only gonna have long-lasting detrimental impacts on their-- the health of those that have been victims of gun violence, but on the mental health of the millions of children that are watching.

A sense of safety is necessary for our kids to grow up healthy and thrive.

And yet, we've seen that parking lots and churches, stores, classrooms?

No place is safe.

Our children are dependent on the adults in their lives to take care of them.

And, our elected officials, all of us, have a moral duty to take care of our kids.

And, I look forward to working together with each of our panelists, and each of you to make sure we can make that happen.

- Thank you so much to everyone, and--