Who’s Accountable for Youth Heath Outcomes?
There’s always some quiet background noise around young people’s health. You hear it in staff rooms, news segments, and those slightly-too-long WhatsApp voice notes from other parents. What are they eating? Are they sleeping enough? Should they really be on their phones that much? Is anyone checking in on them, properly?
Everyone seems to care. But when it comes to who’s actually responsible, things get a little blurry. Like walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there. You know it matters, you just can’t quite pin down who’s meant to take charge.
Photography by Marisa Howenstine
Parents Are Doing Their Best, But They’re Not Superheroes
Parents are where it all starts, especially when children are little, as they're the ones hiding vegetables in the bolognese, dragging everyone to the doctor's, and trying to figure out if their child’s quiet because they’re tired or because something deeper is going on. They care a lot.
But even the most loving, attentive parent can’t do it all. Life is busy. Many are juggling work, younger siblings, money worries, or their own mental health. Some are doing it solo. And let’s be honest, teenagers aren’t always the easiest to guide, especially when they believe they know best (which, in fairness, they often sort of do).
So yes, parents matter. But they can’t carry everything on their own.
The Role of Schools, Screens, and Everything in Between
Then there’s school, where young people spend most of their days. It’s not just about lessons. It’s where they eat, make friends, and figure out who they are. Schools play a huge part in their well-being, even in the bits that aren’t on the curriculum.
It’s about whether children feel safe, whether someone notices when something seems off, and whether mental health is something that’s talked about or something left until it reaches crisis point.
And then there’s the digital world. Social media, games, YouTube and TikTok are not all bad, but they are definitely part of the picture. Late-night scrolling messes with sleep. Filtered images chip at self-esteem. The constant comparisons create pressure. Parents try to manage it. Schools touch on it. But tech is moving faster than any of us can keep up with.
Some Children Start with More to Carry
Some young people face even more challenges, like children in care. For them, health isn’t just about food or fitness. It’s about stability, trust, and being able to focus on school without worrying about where they’ll sleep next week.
Fostering plays a key role here. It’s where health, education, and social care meet. That’s why foster care agencies like Foster Care Associates and foster carers work closely with other services, because when people work together, things get better. Not perfect, but better.
The truth is, everyone is accountable for youth health outcomes: parents, teachers, youth workers, GPs, neighbours, coaches, even the bus driver who says good morning. It’s not about one person doing everything; it’s about all of us doing something. Noticing. Showing up. Caring, even when it’s messy. Because when we share the load, young people don’t just survive; they thrive.
This is a guest post.