CDC’s New Teen Health Report: 5 Shocking Trends on What’s Working (And What’s Not)

Let’s start with the good news, because there is plenty of it. The report highlights meaningful improvements in what I call the "basics of a good plate." The share of high school students who say they ate fruit daily jumped to 39 percent in 2025. That is a 6 point increase from 2023 and actually brings the number closer to the 2015 baseline. The vegetable situation is even brighter, with 63 percent of students eating them daily. That is up from 58 percent just two years ago. We also saw a huge win for hydration with plain water. The number of kids drinking plain water at least three times a day rose to 58 percent, up from 56 percent in 2021 and nearly double what it was back in 2015. These are the sorts of victories that make you feel like the message is actually getting through to the dinner table.

On the sweet side of things, we are seeing a genuine shift away from sugary drinks. Daily soda consumption fell to 17 percent in 2025, which is a drop from the 20 percent seen in 2015. This trend has been bubbling up for a while, and it is good to see it reflected in the official numbers. The reduction in vapes and e-cigarettes is another positive sign. Current e-cigarette or vape use fell to 16 percent in 2025 from a peak of nearly 33 percent just a few years ago. The share of students who had ever used these products also dropped to 30 percent from about 45 percent in 2015. While we still have a ways to go, the decline is clear and it suggests that the messaging around addiction and health is resonating with the younger demographic. To see how the political landscape shapes these reports, you can check the source here.

However, the picture is not all rosy, and that is where the practical advice comes in. The report paints a slightly more complicated picture when we look at movement and sleep. The news on sports participation is great, with 58 percent of students playing on a sports team in 2025. That is a solid increase from 52 percent in 2023. But here is the catch. While 58 percent are on a team, only 25 percent of high school students were physically active for at least 60 minutes a day. This distinction is crucial. Being on a team is a fantastic start, but it is not the same as burning off energy through free play or personal exercise. It tells us that organized athletics are growing, but the overall culture of movement for every single child needs work.

The sleep data is just as telling. Only 24 percent of students get at least eight hours of sleep on an average school night. That is down from 27 percent in 2015. For a growing teenager, sleep is the fuel for the rest of their life, and running on empty has cascading effects on their food choices and mood. We also saw a long-term decline in one of the most fundamental habits. Daily breakfast consumption fell from 36 percent in 2015 to just 27 percent in 2025. Skipping breakfast is a common issue, but for teenagers, it often leads to poor concentration and excessive snacking throughout the day. It is a small change that has a big impact on their health trajectory.

Let’s talk about the numbers on mental health, because these are the ones that hit closest to home. It is encouraging to see that the share of students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness fell to 33 percent in 2025. That is a significant drop from 40 percent in 2023 and 42 percent in 2021. We are seeing real progress here. The mental health and suicide risk numbers are even more positive. The share who seriously considered attempting suicide fell from 22 percent in 2021 to 14 percent in 2025. The share who made a suicide plan fell from a high of 18 percent in 2021 to 12 percent in 2025. These are vital metrics that show when we support mental wellness, kids respond. Female students continued to report higher rates of struggle than their male peers, with 43 percent reporting persistent sadness compared to 24 percent of males, but the overall trend is upward. You can explore more details on these specific statistics by visiting the Lexington County Chronicle here.

While the good news is important, the new report also offers a different kind of perspective by omitting some things. The 2025 report does not mention LGBTQ+ students or sexual and gender identity, nor does it focus on substance use, sexual behavior, or violence in the same way previous reports did. The underlying data still contains this information and the CDC says it remains available online, but the national report highlights a different set of priorities. This means the public face of teen health is shifting away from trauma and substance and toward nutrition, movement, and sleep. It is a narrower, but perhaps clearer, focus on preventative wellness.

The 2025 report provides a snapshot of health in 2025 and compares it to the previous two years and the baseline of 2015. The stark difference in the size of the document itself, 36 pages versus 88 pages, speaks volumes about how the agency is choosing to present this information to the American public. It captures some notable improvements in diet and mental health while giving considerably less attention to other categories of risk. For parents and caregivers, this means the narrative has changed. We are no longer just trying to keep kids off drugs and out of trouble. We are being asked to look at their breakfast plates, their sleep schedules, and their screen time. It is a broader, more holistic, and frankly, more hopeful way to look at the next generation. The data suggests we are making headway, but there is still a lot of work to do before every kid is eating their greens and getting a full night's rest.

First reported by Lexington County Chronicle.