In her first statewide spending plan, Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday laid out her vision for tackling one of New Jersey’s fastest-growing public health challenges: the mental anguish of its young people.
“This budget funds our new Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness,” said Sherrill, referring to an initiative she created via executive order on her first day in office in January. “And it creates a social media research center to study the impact of digital technology on young people’s mental health. In New Jersey, we’re not going to rely on Big Tech to come clean about the harm these technologies cause. We’re going to lead the way and give overworked parents some relief.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared a mental health crisis among children, with one in five diagnosed with a behavioral, mental or emotional disorder. In New Jersey, suicide is the third leading cause of death for those ages 10-24, according to the CDC.
Sherrill is pushing prevention and early intervention services delivered to where children spend much of their time: school. During her budget address to lawmakers, Sherrill pointed to Adam Renteria and his mother, Robin, and described Adam’s experience with severe bullying. The warning signs online went unnoticed.
“In just 7th grade, Adam went through some of the worst bullying and harassment that a kid could face, which the apps should’ve flagged,” Sherrill said. “With hard work, he went from a kid who for months couldn’t even come out of his room to a star speaker at events across the state.”
Sense of urgency
The governor’s $60.7 billion spending proposal, for the fiscal year that begins July 1, had broad emphasis on affordability and government accountability. Her mental health policy stood out as one of the administration’s most urgent policy efforts so far.
The budget sets aside $33 million to establish SPARK, or School-based Partnerships for Access and Resilience for Kids, across K-12. The program, for students with behavioral health issues, would pair school districts with counselors and other mental health professionals to work directly on campus.
Caitlin Summers of First Children Services, which specializes in special-needs therapeutic and behavioral health, says the need for such support has never been more urgent.
“A lot of people said post-COVID we were in a mental health crisis,” Summers told NJ Spotlight News. “The speech truly brought to light so many issues we are facing systemically in our communities and our school and ultimately in our homes. Parents are struggling every day with how to best support our kids with complicated mental health needs.”
The benefits go far beyond addressing an immediate crisis, she said.
“There’s increased attendance in school, there’s outcomes in response in their test scores, their academics are better, they are just better positioned to be successful in school,” she said.
Sherrill’s budget also targets technology’s role in youth mental health. The proposal includes $500,000 to establish a social media research center at a New Jersey university to study how online platforms affect young users and to guide policy decisions. The center builds on Sherrill’s online safety office, within the Department of Health, to protect children online and educate families about digital risks.
The broader budget includes a record $12.4 billion for K-12 education, mostly in direct aid to local schools, alongside funding for programs designed to support students’ well-being. Among those efforts are grants supporting cell phone-free schools, a law signed by Sherrill’s predecessor, Phil Murphy. Supporters say limiting handheld electronics during the school day will improve focus and cut bullying, distractions and social media-related stress.
