Insights

August 14, 2025

Young adults are struggling. 

Globally, one in seven youth live with a mental health condition, and many face stigma, isolation and a lack of support. Rates of anxiety, depression and stress are rising, often leaving youth unsure where to turn.

That’s why we’re taking action.

We’re proud to announce the launch of OK Today, a global, youth-driven collective on a mission to transform how the world sees and talks about mental health. It debuted at the 2025 AFS Youth Assembly this past weekend. More on that, and how your organization can get involved, below. 

Plus: Is corporate activism making a comeback? The numbers say yes.

ICYMI: People are no longer “Googling it,” they’re turning to AI chatbots and overviews for answers. But where do these tools get the information they’re sharing? We dive into AI’s media diet in our recent newsletter. Read it here.

Breaking down stigma one conversation at a time

There’s no single cause of the youth mental health crisis. A mix of factors — smartphone use, social media, political polarization, the lingering effects of COVID isolation and remote learning, climate change, rising living costs and global instability — have all contributed.

Go deeper: However, the real crisis isn’t just how youth feel; it’s what they’re afraid to express. Four in 10 Gen Z individuals say they feel judged or misunderstood when discussing mental health at school or work. That silence blocks real progress.

OK Today is a peer-powered platform that is working to change how the world sees and talks about mental health. We believe everyone deserves space to show up as their authentic self, whether we’re OK or not OK, and know that is OK. We are breaking down stigma through:

• Dialogue: encouraging everyday conversations around mental health. 
• Education: equipping youth changemakers with tools to break down stigma through community building and advocacy. 
• Community: investing in youth-led ideas to improve mental health at the community level.  
• Culture: creating a culture where mental health conversations are normalized.  

How it works: OK Today is built on the belief that young people, ages 18-25, should be leading the mental health conversation. We’re guided by a Youth Advisory Board of young people from across the globe. Meet them here! 

2025 AFS Youth Assembly + OK Today

For the first time in the Youth Assembly’s history, mental health was featured as a core program track — a powerful signal that it’s not a side issue, but central to how young people experience the world, navigate crises and shape their future. 

That focus was reflected in the conversations, participation and data we shared throughout the event, where OK Today championed a weekend of activations, workshops and community-building moments.

By the numbers: Research shows that 67% of young people will tell a friend they’re struggling before telling anyone else, yet 70% feel unequipped to help a friend dealing with mental health challenges. 

Taking action: In an OK Today-sponsored session moderated by Active Minds, a peer-to-peer education advisor to OK Today, participants learned how to support peers in need using the A.S.K. (Acknowledge, Support, Keep-In-Touch) framework. They practiced real-life scenarios, shared personal experiences and walked away with tangible skills to use in their own communities. 

Leading dialogue: A panel discussion titled “Beyond the Surface: The Global Mental Health Crisis” explored how global crises, from armed conflict to pandemics to climate change, are impacting youth mental health. Experts and youth advocates discussed solutions ranging from peer-led support and journaling to gender-sensitive policies and community-driven action. The panel highlighted the role of storytelling, early intervention and empowering young people to drive meaningful change.

“The solutions to mental health challenges arise from love, genuine care and a profound sense of empathy,” said Eduardo Vasconcelos Goyanna Filho, panelist and director of youth engagement at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Join us in our goal of reaching 1 million young people in the next three years.

• Become a partner. We’re looking for nonprofit and funding partners to help scale the impact of OK Today. Join us to help build and grow OK Today programming, drive campaigns at key moments and be a part of our next global, youth-driven event. Get in touch at OKToday@gga.nyc.
• Subscribe to our youth mental health newsletter for regular updates on what we’re doing, and for broader trends in youth mental health. 
• Connect with us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Is corporate activism back?

Last week, Bentley University-Gallup released a report which found that 51% of U.S. adults believe companies should take a public stance on current issues; a Pew Research poll released the same week found similar results. We looked into Gallup’s findings: 

By the numbers: While there’s nothing decisive about 51%, it marks a 13-point increase from 38% in 2024.

• Sixty percent of 18- to 29-year-olds want to hear from businesses, with that number decreasing in each older age group.
  
• Seventy-one percent of Democrats support businesses taking public stances, compared to 33% of Republicans. 

What issues matter the most? When given 12 topics companies could address, more than 50% of respondents supported companies speaking out on the following, respectively: free speech, climate change, mental health, diversity, equity and inclusion and healthcare. Just 33% supported companies taking a stance on international conflicts, 26% on abortion, and 18% on religion.

Yes, but: While a slight majority of consumers want companies to speak out on current events, only 40% of employees want their employers to discuss these issues with them.  

The bottom line: We help organizations develop custom rubrics to determine whether and how they should engage internally or externally on social issues and current events. Interested? Reach out to info@gga.nyc.

Media news + moves

What we’re reading and watching:

• The buzz about Beehiiv: Substack is ubiquitous, but many writers are choosing Beehiiv for its customization options and pricing. “I chose Beehiiv over Substack for my new AI and book-focused newsletter for several reasons — product, economics, and more. One of the biggest? I didn’t want to be just another same-looking Substack,” said Wall Street Journal columnist Joanna Stern. Meanwhile, The Information is asking whether Beehiiv could be the next billion-dollar newsletter startup. More on that here
• An unexpected win for Reddit: Reddit’s defining feature is human conversation — exactly the kind of content AI seeks. Thanks to licensing deals with OpenAI and Google, Reddit is a top-cited source for queries from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini, appearing in 5.5% of Google’s AI Overview responses. “Human conversation is not being replaced by AI, instead, it’s becoming more important,” Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said in a recent earnings call. Continue reading
• Behold the Gray Lady: While many media companies struggle, the New York Times is thriving, with its stock hitting an all-time high earlier this month and Q2 revenue up 27.8% year over year. It has stayed competitive by producing more video content and signing an AI-related licensing deal with Amazon. Read more
• Semafor considers its next move. It’s been just over two years since Semafor’s last infusion of outside funding, and it may be gearing up for another round, Oliver Darcy reported in his Status newsletter. Learn more
• Business Insider founder launches podcast: Henry Blodget launches “Solutions” next Monday, a new podcast series produced with Vox that highlights experts tackling major challenges in science, business and society. Bookmark to listen here

Media moves:

• Business Insider hired Zak Jason as executive editor for its Discourse section. 
• Yahoo Finance hired JR Whalen as a news and personal finance producer, while Jordan Weissmann announced he is leaving the organization. 
• Bloomberg News hired Charles Gorrivan as a reporter, while editor Kevin Miller left the organization after nearly 30 years.
• MarketWatch hired Christine Ji to cover Big Tech.
• Fast Company promoted Christopher Zara to news director.
• The New York Times hired Erik Wemple to cover media news for the business section and Sandhya Somashekhar as its Washington bureau domestic policy editor. 
• The Information hired Katie Roof as deputy bureau chief of venture capital coverage.
• Bloomberg Industry Group hired Keith L. Alexander as editor-at-large.