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New Ad Council and Surgo Health Report Finds Young People Report Mental Health Symptoms at Twice the Rate Parents Recognize

  • New research from the Ad Council & Surgo Health reveals that twice as many young people report depression or anxiety symptoms than parents recognize.
  • The Sound It Out campaign premiered new "Love Listens" creative developed pro bono by McCann New York to encourage active listening by parents & caregivers.
  • The campaign partners with Pivotal & receives support from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to help parents create safe spaces for kids to open up before crises occur.
  • SoundItOutTogether.org offers free, expert-vetted resources covering topics such as social media & bullying to guide meaningful conversations about mental health.
  • Heidi Arthur of the Ad Council states that listening & being fully present is often more impactful than having all the answers.
  • Sema Sgaier, CEO of Surgo Health, notes the Youth Mental Health Tracker measures sources of wellbeing like time with friends & creative outlets that young people value most.
  • Mike Hahn of McCann New York emphasizes that quiet, safe spaces for kids to be heard are as critical as celebrating them in visible ways.
  • Kelsey Noonan of Pivotal highlights that insights from the campaign show the importance of taking time to listen to understand what young people are experiencing.
  • Since launching in April 2021, Sound It Out has received over $100M in donated media support & generated more than 6 million visits to its website.
  • Awareness of the campaign correlates with higher confidence in having helpful conversations about emotional wellbeing, with 44% of aware parents feeling confident compared to 30% of unaware parents.
  • The new "Love Listens" creative will run nationwide across TV, digital, social, radio, print & out-of-home media with donated time & space.
  • The Ad Council is a nonprofit organization that has run iconic campaigns for over 80 years, including Smokey Bear & Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk.
  • McCann is a global creative network ranked among the most effective networks globally & named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies in 2024 & 2025.
  • Surgo Health is a Public Benefit Corporation using AI-powered data to reveal drivers of health & created the Youth Mental Health Tracker to provide actionable insights.
Company
The Ad Council
Keywords
The Ad Council