The biggest dangers facing American teenagers have changed in the last few decades. While previously smoking, drinking and teen pregnancy were the primary threats teens had to face, what they’re dealing with now is anxiety. Anxiety disorders increased by 27% among adolescents between 2016 and 2019.
Filmmaker Laura Morton explores the new trend among teens in her documentary “Anxious Nation,” which premieres at the St. Louis International Film Festival on Wednesday at 2 p.m. She joined KMOX to talk about what made her interested in covering this topic.
“This film is the product of me being the parent of a very anxious child. And I was feeling really frustrated, and really defeated as a mom. And I couldn't seem to figure out how to help my daughter feel better and do better and live an easier life,” Morton explained. “And so I started making this film in 2019. And along came COVID. And for me, I think COVID poured gasoline on an already burning inferno.”
Morton said that during the making of the documentary, the teenagers she talked to were pretty open about their experiences with anxiety.
“The response that I got was amazing. It was really overwhelming. But what it did is it gave people permission to talk about it,” she said. “And I think that that's what this film did for so many of these families, those families were feeling the same way I was. They were feeling alone, they were feeling that it was just them.”
She said that is key — one of the main things she wanted people to take away from her film is that they’re not alone.
“At the very end, we have a bunch of celebrities doing, you know, talking about their own anxiety. And one says, ‘Don't think you're a weirdo, because we're all weirdos, right?’ And it's Emma Stone, who says it,” Morton said. “And, you know, for me, I think the other thing that this film will do is it will elicit a lot of dialogue within the family — conversations that wouldn't otherwise not have taken place will take place as a result of seeing this film is inevitable.”
She added, “If you are dealing with anxiety in your family, you probably have more questions than answers right now. And we hope to leave you with hope. And that your anxiety doesn't have to define you.”
Hear more from Laura Morton on “Anxious Nation,” and find tickets to the film’s screening here.
Copyright 2022 KMOX (Audacy). All Rights Reserved.
Follow KMOX | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Listen on the free Audacy app.
Tell your smart speaker to play K M O X.