Overview
- At an event in Berlin on October 30, the Bundesschülerkonferenz announced a ten-point plan responding to what it calls a youth mental-health crisis.
- Student leaders call for more school social workers and psychologists, targeted teacher training, media literacy education, binding anti-bullying protections, and stronger school structures with individual support, more breaks, and robust all-day models.
- The Deutsches Schulbarometer indicates that roughly 21% of pupils describe themselves as psychologically burdened, highlighting service gaps in schools.
- An analysis released the same day by the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft warns that poor mental health in youth strains public finances, noting more than €63 billion in direct treatment costs in 2023 and that about half of disorders begin before age 15.
- Political figures, including a Greens education spokesperson, urged a national strategy and more school-based support, while no immediate government commitment was reported.