A major new report reveals that today’s adolescents face an unprecedented convergence of challenges — and that our global response is failing to keep up.
Key Points at a Glance
- The 2025 Lancet Commission exposes alarming trends in adolescent health and wellbeing
- Mental health, obesity, violence, and climate change top the list of concerns
- Adolescents receive just 2.4% of global health and development funding
- Experts call for youth-driven, evidence-based solutions and cross-sector collaboration
- By 2050, 70% of adolescents will live in cities, raising new health and social challenges
A new global report sounds the alarm on the state of the world’s adolescents — and the findings are stark. Mental health disorders, rising obesity, violence, digital threats, and climate anxiety are just some of the issues this generation faces, and according to the 2025 Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, the world is woefully underprepared to respond.
The Commission, comprising 44 global experts and 10 Youth Commissioners, including researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), paints a sobering picture: although adolescents account for nearly a quarter of the global population — around two billion people — they receive a mere 2.4% of international health and development funding.
The result? A generation under siege from all sides. “We are seeing rising rates of mental health issues with too few services, exposure to violence both in homes and conflict zones, digital environments that often do more harm than good, and worsening reproductive health outcomes,” said MCRI’s Professor Peter Azzopardi. “The urgency to act is real.”
Among the most alarming statistics: by 2030, over half of the world’s adolescents will live in countries where their age group bears a disproportionate burden of complex disease. Despite advances in some areas, structural inequalities persist, particularly for young women. By the end of the decade, nearly one-third of young women are expected to be neither in education, employment, nor training.
Rapid urbanisation is another double-edged sword. By 2050, 70% of adolescents will live in urban environments — potentially offering more opportunities but also exacerbating issues like overcrowding, isolation, poverty, and insecure housing. The report urges governments and urban planners to develop safe, inclusive public spaces that genuinely support young people’s needs and aspirations.
The Commission also highlights the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that disruptions in education, social development, and access to healthcare continue to reverberate through adolescent populations worldwide. Compounding these issues are environmental challenges, from extreme weather events to climate-related displacement, which are disproportionately impacting youth.
What’s perhaps most frustrating for researchers and advocates is that many solutions already exist — they just aren’t being implemented at scale. The report outlines a series of concrete recommendations: promoting digital literacy and online safety, expanding mental health services, supporting reproductive health access, involving youth in environmental programs, and building multi-sectoral alliances that truly listen to and empower young people.
“There’s a persistent myth that adolescents are healthy and don’t need much support,” said Professor Susan Sawyer of MCRI, another leading voice behind the report. “But we know that adolescence is a critical time for intervention. These years lay the foundation for adult health, productivity, and wellbeing.”
Sawyer emphasized that engaging young people directly is not just a recommendation — it’s a necessity. “This report is grounded in partnerships with adolescents themselves. Their insights, creativity, and resilience must shape how we respond,” she said. “Ignoring their voices is not only unjust — it’s unwise.”
The report also stresses the importance of measurable progress. Effective responses must be evidence-based, continuously evaluated, and transparently reported. According to Azzopardi, this accountability is especially crucial as fertility rates decline and the economic future of aging societies increasingly depends on today’s youth.
Importantly, the Commission does not leave readers in despair. It offers a roadmap toward a healthier, more inclusive world for adolescents — one that is collaborative, compassionate, and scientifically grounded. But it warns that delay will only deepen the damage and widen disparities.
As the report is launched at the World Health Organization’s 78th Health Assembly in Geneva, it serves as both a call to action and a litmus test of global priorities. Will leaders step up to support the generation that holds our collective future? Or will adolescents continue to shoulder burdens that should never have been theirs to bear?
