What if it’s not social media?

That’s the thought that keeps running through Patrick McGorry’s head. What if it’s not Facebook or YouTube or TikTok? What if we’re wrong?

A professor and former Australian of the year , McGorry, 73, is one of the world’s leading experts on youth mental health, and the driving force behind the rollout of more than 150 Headspace clinics across the country over the past 20 years.

McGorry has been carving lifeboats. All the while, he’s been watching the ship sink.

The data suggests there has been a dramatic decline in the mental health of our current generation of young people. “And maybe the one before,” McGorry said. “It’s been happening for 15 to 20 years.”

Societies and governments in Australia and around the world seem to share that concern – and ha

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