Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 4-10, 2025 as “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week.”

The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:

PROCLAMATION

Children’s mental health has become an increasingly urgent issue – with 20% of adolescents in the United States now reporting unmet mental health care needs. There is a continuing rise in children’s mental health diagnoses, and a growing concern over the impact social media is having on our kids. Adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems. Between 2018 and 2021, suicide was the second leading cause of death among young adults in California, accounting for 20% of all deaths in this age range. Nationally, suicide rates among adolescents aged 10-24 years increased by 62% from 2007 to 2021, and suicide rates increased 8.2% annually from 2008 to 2022 among preteens aged 8 to 12 years.

The data supports what we all know: we must check in with our kids and take action to provide those struggling with the support they need. In California, we take the mental health and well-being of our children seriously, and we’re working to provide young people with the resources they need to thrive in body and mind.

California’s approach, outlined in the Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, coordinates our child-serving systems, streamlining efforts in pursuit of a shared vision and shared goals, with shared accountability. We are committed to providing all Californian families and their children access to quality behavioral health services, training and developing a larger workforce that better reflects our communities.

The cornerstone of the Master Plan is the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), designed for and by youth and families. Working across all aspects of life, from schools to health care, CYBHI is transforming California’s behavioral health system that prioritizes prevention and early intervention. With initiatives like CYBHI and the Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind campaign, California is reminding people that mental health is as important to our overall well-being as physical health.

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, the first week of Mental Health Awareness Month, is an opportunity for people to talk to each other, sit down with their kids, and reach out for help. I urge all Californians to learn about the resources and services available to support children’s mental health at www.chhs.ca.gov/youthresources. 

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim May 4-10, 2025 as “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 4^th day of May 2025.
 

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State