Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2026 �Concord-Carlisle Regional School District

Summer 2026

Table of Contents

Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2026

Summary

Social Support

Bullying, Threats, & Injury

Stress, Anxiety, Depression, & Suicide

Sexual Experiences

Drugs & Alcohol

Unsafe Driving

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14

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30

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48

56

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Social Media & Cellphone Use

60

Body Image & Dieting

71

Lifestyle

77

Appendix

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Study Overview

• Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
• Carlisle Middle School/Carlisle Public Schools
• Concord-Carlisle High School/Concord Public Schools
• Groton-Dunstable Regional School District
• Maynard Public Schools
• The Bromfield School (Harvard Public Schools)

2026 Participating School Districts

Methodology

• Questionnaires are age-appropriate and based on the Massachusetts YRBS and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention versions.
• Students participating in the Emerson YRBS are guaranteed confidentiality. Identifying information about students is not kept, and results are only reported in grouped form, with no way of identifying individuals.

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Since 1997, Emerson Health and select public school districts within Emerson Health’s service area have collaborated to conduct the biannual Emerson Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS is a comprehensive survey of students in 6th grade, 8th grade, and 9th through 12th grade on topics ranging from mental health and resiliency to technology habits, stress, body image, social media, bullying, substance use, and sexual activity.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2026

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For more information, please contact:

Kelsey Magnuson

Community Benefits and Events Manager

Emerson Hospital

310 Baker Ave

Concord, MA 01742

978.287.1193

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Methodology

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• Emerson YRBS strives to achieve a census of students in 6th grade, 8th grade, and high school. Six public school districts participated in the 2026 survey, including 4,429 students in 6th grade, 8th grade, and high school who completed an online survey in March 2026.
• Of the 1,588 students enrolled at Concord-Carlisle High School / Concord Public Schools in March 2026, 69% responded to the survey. The remaining students were either absent on the days the surveys were conducted, their parents/guardians opted for them not to participate, they submitted a blank survey (indicating refusal to participate), they did not submit a survey at all (student opted not to participate) or they did not submit a completed survey for some other reason.

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Students Participating in 2026 Emerson YRBS**

*For more information on the methodology, school participation, or student demographic characteristics, please see the Appendix.

**Numbers in this table represent survey completions.

Navigating the Report and Interpreting Data

• In this report, we compare 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2026 results only for grades that were surveyed.

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• Substantial differences (10%+) in this report will be highlighted in orange (see the example below).
• Similarly, substantial differences (5%+ compared to the overall total in the aggregate report) based on student characteristics will be shown in tan boxes on some slides. As some identity-based groups are small, the aggregate data better lends itself to identifying meaningful differences compared to district-level data.

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• You can find the question and years it was asked at the bottom of each slide throughout the main report.
• Questions are referred to by number, e.g., “Q23” refers to Question 23 in the survey. Question numbers and exact question wording are also cross-referenced in the companion documents.
• Along with this report, Emerson Health and participating districts received data tables in Excel format that include:
• Comparable totals for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2026
• Breakdowns by grade for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2026
• Breakdowns for 2026 by selected student characteristics (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity)

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Comparisons Over Time

Meaningful Differences

Navigation & Other Documents

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Summary

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Concord-Carlisle students show many positive shifts in experiences and attitudes compared to prior years.

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The following rates increased over time:

• Feeling safe at school
• Among 6^th grade students
• Seeking out an adult if they need help
• Among middle school students
• Knowing where to go for help
• Among 6^th grade students
• Confidence in adults’ ability to help
• Among 6^th grade and high school students

The following rates increased over time:

• Feeling supported by friends
• Among 8^th grade students
• Parents monitoring cellphone use
• Among 8^th grade and high school students
• Parents monitoring social media use
• Among middle school students
• Not keeping electronic devices in the bedroom at night
• Among 6^th grade students

The following rates decreased over time:

• Driving after using marijuana
• Among high school students
• Driving while using a phone without a hands-free option
• Among high school students

Support & Seeking Help

Family Involvement & Social Media

Experiences with Unsafe Driving

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While younger Concord-Carlisle students have more interpersonal challenges, older students report higher rates of stress.

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• Younger students report higher rates of interpersonal issues, including:
• Being bullied
• Being threatened with or injured by a weapon on school property
• Missing school due to safety concerns
• Not feeling safe at school

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• Older students show higher rates of stress from academic workload and anxiety.
• Older students also report sleeping less, doing more homework, and engaging in higher rates of risky behaviors around sex and alcohol/drugs compared to younger students, which may have some impact on their stress levels.

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In 2026, we dove deeper into some aspects of Concord-Carlisle student and school life, including expanding mental health questions.

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• Just over 1 in 6 students (16%) felt anxious for at least 6 days out of the 30 days leading up to the survey.
• Of those who felt anxious, most reported those feelings being quite strong.

• While most students do not think it would be easy to get any type of weapon, the easiest type of weapon for them to obtain would be a small knife.
• The top source students think they can get a weapon from is their home.

• Most students feel they can “often” or “always” get away from uncomfortable situations, though these rates are higher among older students compared to 6^th grade students.

Feeling Anxious

Weapon Accessibility

Leaving Situations

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• Students tend to be aware of cellphone policies, with most middle school students thinking phones must be off, silenced, or put away during school hours, and most high school students thinking they can only use their phones between classes or at lunch.

Cellphone Policies

Mental health is very important, and those who face mental health challenges report higher rates of other potentially harmful experiences.

• Those who felt anxious or depressed reported higher rates of many adverse conditions or experiences, many of which are noted below. Anxiety and depression are often comorbid.
• Those who experience anxiety or depression report higher rates of:
• Lack of support
• Not having adults in their lives (in or outside of school) to talk to if they have a problem
• Not feeling supported by friends or family
• Not feeling they belong at their school
• Low sense of safety
• Being bullied or cyberbullied
• Thinking it would be easy to acquire weapons
• Missing school due to safety fears
• Other adverse experiences
• Being sexually harassed
• Experiencing high stress levels from school or home life
• Judging themselves based on their weight
• Sleeping 5 hours or less per night

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This slide reflects the aggregate data from all school districts, not just Concord-Carlisle, to maintain statistically significant sample sizes in the referenced groups.

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Certain groups of students are especially at risk and may benefit from �more support.

• Southeast Asian American students:
• Lacking support from adults, having a hard time getting out of uncomfortable situations, self-harming, experiencing sexual harassment, lacking parental involvement in cellphone use, and not getting enough sleep
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students:
• Being bullied, having a hard time escaping uncomfortable situations, feeling depressed, and self-harming
• Middle Eastern American students:
• Lacking support from adults at school, having a hard time escaping uncomfortable situations, and not getting enough sleep
• Black or African American students:
• Not knowing who or where to go to for help, having a hard time escaping uncomfortable situations, and not getting enough sleep
• American Indian or Alaska Native students:
• Being bullied, feeling depressed, and doing 3+ hours of homework per night
• Hispanic/Latino/a students:
• Being bullied, having a hard time handling stressful events, feeling depressed, and lacking parental involvement in cellphone use

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Race and Ethnicity

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Students in the following groups show higher rates of the listed experiences compared to the overall total:

This slide reflects the aggregate data from all school districts, not just Concord-Carlisle, to maintain statistically significant sample sizes in the referenced groups.

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Similarly, students in certain groups defined by gender or sexuality may benefit from additional support.

• Non-binary students:
• Not knowing where to go for help, feeling they don’t belong at their school, being bullied, having a hard time escaping uncomfortable situations, feeling anxious, feeling depressed, self-harming, being sexually harassed, having a strong desire to be thinner, and not getting enough sleep
• Transgender students:
• Lacking confidence in adults’ ability to help, having a hard time escaping uncomfortable situations, having a hard time handling stressful events, feeling anxious, feeling depressed, self-harming, being sexually harassed, having a strong desire to be thinner, and not getting enough sleep
• Female students:
• Having a hard time handling stressful events, feeling anxious, being sexually harassed, having a strong desire to be thinner, doing 3+ hours of homework per night

• Non-heterosexual students:
• Feeling they don’t belong at their school, lacking confidence in adults’ ability to help, having a hard time handling stressful events, feeling anxious, feeling depressed, self-harming, doing 3+ hours of homework per night, and not getting enough sleep

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Gender

Sexuality

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Students within these groups show higher rates of the listed experiences compared to the overall total:

This slide reflects the aggregate data from all school districts, not just Concord-Carlisle, to maintain statistically significant sample sizes in the referenced groups.

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Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2026 Results

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Social Support

• Over time, rates of feeling supported by friends increased, particularly among 8^th grade students. Rates of feeling supported by family have also increased across all grades.
• Younger students (6^th grade) report lower rates of feeling safe with friends compared to older students.

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Sources of Support

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Q33-34 I feel supported by… friends… my family/parents/caregivers.

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• Overall, most feel supported by their friends and family.
• Over time, rates of feeling supported by friends increased, particularly among 8^th grade students. Rates of feeling supported by family have generally increased across all grades.

Safety

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Q36-38 I feel safe when I am… with my friends… with my family/parents/caregivers… at school.

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• 6^th grade students report the lowest rates of feeling safe with their friends.
• Over time, students across all grades report somewhat higher rates of feeling safe at school, with caregivers, and with friends.

Adult outside of school

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with not having a trusted adult outside of school (3% overall):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling very high/high stress levels from events or pressure at home (8%)
• Feeling anxious (7%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Southeast Asian (9%) and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (7%) students
• Non-binary, not exclusively male or female students (7%)

• Most students have an adult outside of school to talk to if there is a problem.
• Rates of not having an adult outside of school to talk to are trending down for all grades compared to 2022.

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Q31 Is there at least one adult in your life outside of school that you could talk to if you had a problem?

Adult at school

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with not having a trusted adult at school (7%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Not having an adult outside of school to talk to (49%)
• Not feeling they belong at school (23%)
• Never/rarely being able to get out of uncomfortable situations (16%)
• Being bullied (12%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Middle Eastern American or Southeast Asian American students (15%)

• Most students have an adult at school to talk to if there is a problem.
• Rates of not having an adult to talk to at school are trending down for all grades compared to 2022.

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Q29 Is there at least one teacher or other adult in your school that you could talk to if you had a problem?

Seeking Out an Adult

• Of those who have an adult at school who they could talk to if needed, 7 in 10 would be likely to seek that adult out.
• Rates of being likely to seek out their trusted adult at school have increased over time, particularly among 6^th grade and 8^th grade students.

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Q30 When you have an issue or problem you need help with, how likely are you to seek out a teacher or other adult at school for help?

Knowing Where to Go for Help

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with not having or not being sure if they have someone to help in the event of a problem (8%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Not feeling safe at school (22%)
• Using unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol or self-harm (15%)
• Having a hard time making it through stressful events (14%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Southeast Asian American (16%) and Black or African American (14%) students
• Non-binary students (18%)

• Most students know where or who they would go to if they needed help with a serious problem.
• Rates of not knowing where or who to go to in the event of a serious issue are trending down among all students, and particularly 6^th grade students.

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Q32 If you were having a serious problem and needed help do you know where you could seek help or who you could talk to?

Feelings of Belonging at School

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with not having a sense of belonging at school (6%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Not feeling safe with their friends (67%) or at school (60%)
• Being bullied (20%) or cyberbullied (22%)
• Feeling depressed (19%) or anxious (19%)
• Those who lose focus in class due to checking their phone “sometimes” or more often (15%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Non-binary, not exclusively male or female students (22%)
• Non-heterosexual students (15%)

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• Most students feel they belong at school.
• Rates of not feeling they belong at their school are trending down among 6^th grade and high school students since 2022.

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Q35 I feel I belong at my school.

Bullying, Threats, & Injury

• Compared to 8^th grade and high school students, 6^th grade students currently report higher rates of being bullied, being threatened or injured by a weapon on school property, and missing school due to fear of being unsafe.
• Rates of bullying others and cyberbullying are somewhat decreasing overtime.

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Being Bullied at School

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with being bullied (10%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Not feeling safe at school (38%) or with friends (32%)
• Not having an adult at school (17%) or outside of school (26%) to talk to if they have a problem
• Feeling their weight influences how they judge themselves “often” or more �frequently (19%)

Demographic Characteristics

• American Indian or Alaska Native (23%), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (19%), and Hispanic or Latino/a students (14%)
• Non-binary, not exclusively male or female students (23%)

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• Bullying is more common in middle school compared to high school.
• Rates of being bullied have somewhat decreased compared to 2024.

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Q41 During the past 12 months, have you been bullied by others at school (repeatedly threatened, humiliated, or experienced hostile behaviors)?

Bullying Others

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with bullying others (2%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Having been bullied (13%) or cyberbullied (14%) themselves
• Not feeling safe with (12%) or supported by (9%) caregivers
• Having been threatened with or injured by a weapon on school property (12%)
• Not having an adult outside of school to talk to if they have a problem (11%)
• Not feeling safe at school (9%)
• Not feeling they belong at school (7%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Black or African American students (7%)

• Very few students admit to bullying others; for example, while 16% of 6^th grade students indicate being bullied, only 1% report bullying others.
• Rates of bullying others may be decreasing compared to 2024.

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Q42 During the past 12 months, have YOU bullied someone at school (repeatedly threatened, humiliated, or harassed someone in school)?

Cyberbullying

• Rates of being cyberbullied remain relatively stable across grades.
• Over time, rates of being cyberbullied have somewhat decreased.

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Q43 During the past 12 months, have you been bullied by others electronically (repeatedly threatened, humiliated, or experienced hostile behaviors via social media texting or online)?

Q44 During the past 12 months, have YOU bullied someone electronically (repeatedly threatened, humiliated, or harassed others via social media texting or online)?

• Similar to rates of bullying at school, very few students admit to cyberbullying others.
• Rates of cyberbullying others have somewhat decreased over time.

Confidence in Adults’ Ability to Help

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with not having confidence that adults at school can help in the event of bullying (13%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Not feeling safe at school (59%)
• Not having an adult to talk to outside of school (45%)
• Being bullied (35%)
• Using unhealthy coping strategies like alcohol or self-harm (26%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (37%)
• Non-binary students (35%)
• Non-heterosexual students (29%)

• Overall, most students are confident that adults at school can help in instances of bullying.
• Confidence in adults at school has increased over time, particularly among 6^th grade and high school students.

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Q39 If I am being bullied or harassed, I am confident adults at school can help me.

Weapons at School

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with bringing a weapon to school recently (1%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Bullying others (8%)
• Not having someone to talk to if they have a serious problem (7%)
• Having been threatened with a weapon on school property (6%)

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• Very few students brought a weapon to school in the month leading up to the survey.
• Among those who did, most brought a small knife to school.

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Q45-48 During the past 30 days, have you intentionally brought any of the following with you to school? Check all that apply:

Obtaining Weapons

• Most students do not think they could easily get a weapon.
• Of those who do think they could easily get a weapon, most said they could get a small knife.

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Q49-52 If you really wanted to, would it be easy for you to get any of the following weapons? Check all that apply.

Q53-58 If you really wanted to how do you think you could get a weapon? Check all that apply.

• Of the few who think they could get a weapon, most thought they would get it from home.
• Nearly half of high school students who think they could get a weapon would try to buy one.

Threat, Injury, & Absence

• 6^th grade students report the highest rates of being threatened or injured by someone with a weapon on school property in the year leading up to the survey.
• Rates of threats or injury seem to be down compared to 2024.

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Q59 During the past 12 months, how many times has someone threatened or injured you with a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property?

Q60 During the past 30 days, on how many days did you not go to school because you felt you would be unsafe at school or on your way to or from school?

• 6^th grade students show the highest rates of missing school in the month leading up to the survey due to fear of being unsafe at or on their way to school; however, the rate of missing school due to fear of being unsafe is down among 6^th graders compared to 2024.

Stress, Anxiety, Depression, & Suicide

• As students get older, they are more likely to experience anxiety and stress from academic workload.
• Rates of depression decreased among high school students and rates of self-harm decreased among 8^th grade students since 2022.

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Handling Stressful Events

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with having a hard time making it through stressful events (27%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Often feeling anxious (10+ days out of 30, 68%)
• Feeling depressed (58%)
• Using unhealthy coping strategies like alcohol or self-harm (52%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (58%)
• Non-heterosexual students (48%)
• Non-binary (52%) and female (33%) students
• Hispanic or Latino/a students (33%)

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• Rates of having a hard time making it through stressful events are trending down among 6^th grade, 8^th grade, and high school students.

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Q40 I have a hard time making it through stressful events.

Getting Away from Uncomfortable Situations

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with rarely or never being able to get away from uncomfortable situations (7%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Often feeling anxious (10+ days out of 30, 16%)
• Being bullied (15%)
• Having a hard time making it through stressful events (12%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (20%), Southeast Asian American (16%), Middle Eastern American (13%), and Black or African American (12%) students
• Non-binary students (16%)
• Transgender students (16%)

• Close to 8 in 10 students (79%) feel they can get away from uncomfortable situations “often” or “always.”
• High school students show higher rates of feeling they can “often” get away from uncomfortable situations compared to 6^th grade students.

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Q65 When people say or do things that make you feel uncomfortable, how often can you get away from the situation?

Sources of Stress

• As students get older, they report higher rates of stress due to school.
• Rates of feeling stressed due to events or pressure at home have decreased among 8^th grade and high school students since 2022.

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Q69 During the past 12 months, what level of stress have you experienced as a result of your school/academic workload?

Q70 During the past 12 months, what level of stress have you experienced as a result of events or pressure at home?

Coping Strategies

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• Social media, television, exercise, and talking with someone are the most popular coping methods among students.
• As students get older, they are more likely to turn to social media, exercise, or avoidance to cope with stress.

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Q71-88 When you are dealing with stress which strategies do you use most often? Check all that apply to you.

Q89-95 What types of drugs do you use to help you deal with stress? Check all that apply.

Anxiety

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with feeling anxious (6+ days out of 30, 19%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling depressed (56%)
• Not feeling safe at school (50%)
• Not knowing who to talk to if they need help (40%)
• Not feeling supported by friends (38%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (50%)
• Non-binary (46%) and female (25%) students
• Non-heterosexual students (45%)

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• Overall, just over 1 in 6 students felt worried or nervous for at least 6 days out of the 30 days leading up to the survey.
• Rates of feeling anxious are higher among high school students compared to middle school students.

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Q96 During the past 30 days, on how many days did you feel worried or nervous about things that might happen so much that it was hard to stop feeling that way or calm down?

Intensity of Anxiety

• Among those who felt anxious, just over 1 in 2 experienced strong anxiety.

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Q97 When you feel worried or nervous about something that might happen, how strong are those feelings for you?

Q98 During the past 30 days, on how many days did you not go to school because you felt worried or nervous about things that might happen?

• Around 1 in 6 students who felt anxious missed school in relation to those feelings.

Depression

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with feeling depressed (14%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Often feeling anxious (10+ days out of 30, 50%)
• Not feeling supported by friends (38%) or family (38%)
• Not knowing who to go to if they need help (32%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (44%)
• Non-binary students (38%)
• Non-heterosexual students (33%)
• American Indian or Alaska Native (27%), Black or African American (26%), and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (23%) students

• Just over 1 in 10 (12%) overall felt depressed at least 2 weeks out of the year leading up to the survey.
• Rates of feeling depressed have decreased among all students since 2022.

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Q100 During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities like school, sports, or socializing?

Self-Harm

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with injuring themselves on purpose (12%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling depressed (43%)
• Not knowing who to go to if they need help (31%)
• Not feeling supported by family (35%) or friends (26%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Non-binary (44%) and transgender (40%) students
• Non-heterosexual students (33%)
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (30%) and Southeast Asian American (20%) students

• Younger students report higher rates of self-harm compared to older students.
• Rates of self-harm have significantly decreased among all students since 2022.

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Q 99 During the past 12 months, how many times did you hurt or injure yourself on purpose (for example by cutting, burning, or bruising yourself on purpose)?

Considering Suicide

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with considering suicide (6%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling depressed (29%)
• Not feeling supported by family (23%) or friends (16%)
• Not knowing who to go to if they need help (17%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender (28%) and non-binary (24%) students
• Non-heterosexual students (17%)
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students (13%)

• Overall, 3% of students considered suicide in the year leading up to the survey, with suicide consideration highest in 12^th grade.
• Rates of suicide consideration are trending downward over time.

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Q101 During the past 12 months did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide?

Attempting & Planning Suicide

• Of those who considered suicide, close to half made a suicide plan.
• As the sample sizes are very low, rates fluctuate over time.

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Q102 During the past 12 months, did you make a plan about how you would attempt suicide?

Q103 During the past 12 months, how many times did you actually attempt suicide?

*Note. Year-to-year differences are not highlighted due to low Ns.

• Of the few who made a suicide plan, just under half (44%) attempted suicide.
• As the sample sizes are very low, rates fluctuate over time.

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Seeking Support for Suicidal Thoughts or Suicide Attempts

• Of those who considered suicide, most shared their thoughts with a trusted adult, received medication, or received counseling or therapy.
• While sample sizes are very low and comparisons should be interpreted with caution, 6^th grade students report the lowest rates of sharing their troubles with others (which is consistent across all districts).

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Q104-109 Do any of the following apply to you? Select all that apply.

Talking About Self-Harm or Suicide

• Most students have not heard anything about someone considering self-harm or suicide.
• Rates of hearing about someone thinking of hurting themselves or committing suicide have decreased since 2022 among all students.

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Q110 In the past 12 months, has anyone you know from school told you they were thinking about hurting themselves or suicide?

Sexual Experiences

• As students get older, they engage in more sexual behaviors.
• Rates of various sexual experiences have remained relatively stable over time.

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Sexual Intercourse

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with recently having sexual intercourse (6%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Experiencing dating violence (32%)
• Experiencing sexual harassment (16%)
• Feeling depressed (11%)
• Usually or always having a strong desire to be thinner (11%)
• Getting 5 hours of sleep or less (11%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Non-binary students (14%)
• Non-heterosexual students (11%)

• As students get older, they report higher rates of recently having sexual intercourse.
• Rates of recently having sexual intercourse are trending down among high school students over time.

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Q125 During the past 3 months with how many people did you have sexual intercourse?

Sexual Harassment

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with having been sexually harassed (9%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling depressed (28%)
• Often feeling anxious (10+ days out of 30, 26%)
• Being bullied (24%)
• Never/rarely able to get away from uncomfortable situations (16%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (25%)
• Non-binary (23%) or female (13%) students
• Non-heterosexual students (22%)
• Southeast Asian American students (15%)

• The majority of students have not experienced sexual harassment.
• Rates of experiencing sexual harassment have been trending downward among 8^th grade and high school students, with rates usually peaking in 2022 and trending down since then.

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Q66 During the past 12 months, have you received unwelcome comments or actions of a sexual nature which made you uncomfortable (sexual harassment)?

Nonconsensual Sexual Contact

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with having experienced nonconsensual sexual contact (7%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Not feeling safe with family (23%) or friends (20%)
• Being bullied (20%)
• Not knowing who to go to if they need help with a serious problem (14%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Non-binary students (23%)
• Non-heterosexual students (19%)
• Transgender students (17%)

• The majority of students have not experienced nonconsensual sexual contact.
• Rates of experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact have remained stable over time.

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Q67 During your life, has anyone ever had sexual contact with you without your consent (e.g. touched your breasts, genitals, or buttocks)?

Sexual Coercion or Physical Harm With Dating

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with having been sexually coerced or hurt by a date (2%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Not going to school due to safety concerns (16%)
• Experiencing sexual harassment (11%)
• Being bullied (8%)
• Feeling anxious (7%)
• Feeling their weight often/always influences how they judge themselves (7%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (7%)

• Overall, 1% of students have been hurt physically or sexually (or in both ways) by a date or someone they were going out with.
• Rates of being hurt by a date have remained relatively stable over time.

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Q68 Have you ever been hurt physically or sexually by a date or someone you were going out with? This would include being hurt by being shoved, slapped, hit, or forced into any sexual activity.

Drugs & Alcohol

• Older students continue to report higher rates of drug or alcohol experiences compared to middle school students.
• Rates of vaping, using marijuana, and drinking alcohol have decreased over time among high school students.

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Vaping Nicotine

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with recently vaping (2%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Recently using tobacco or nicotine products (80%)
• Recently using marijuana (46%)
• Recently drinking alcohol (24%)
• Not feeling supported by friends (9%)
• Feeling anxious (7%) or depressed (7%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (10%) and Hispanic or Latino/a (6%) students

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• Overall, 3% of students vaped in the month leading up to the survey.
• Rates of vaping have decreased among high school students over time.

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Q113 During the past 30 days, on how many days did you use vaping products?

E-cigarette Sources

• Of the few who have recently vaped, most got their vapes from a friend who is under the age of 18.
• As sample sizes are very low among middle school students, interpret comparisons over time with caution.

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Q115-120 During the past 12 months, how did you usually get vaping products for your own use? (Choose all that apply)

Nicotine

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with using nicotine (1%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Recently using vaping products (61%)
• Recently using marijuana products (37%)
• Recently drinking alcohol (19%)
• Not feeling supported by friends (7%)
• Feeling depressed (5%)

Demographic Characteristics

• N/A

• Overall, 2% of students used any product containing nicotine in the month leading up to the survey.
• Rates of nicotine use are stable across grades.

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Q123 During the past 30 days, on how many days did you use nicotine or tobacco products? This can include vape, cigarettes, pouches, chewing tobacco, or any other way of consuming tobacco or nicotine.

Marijuana

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with using marijuana (3%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Recently using tobacco or nicotine products (57%)
• Recently using vaping products (55%)
• Recently drinking alcohol (32%)
• Not feeling supported by friends (8%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students (13%)

• Overall, 3% of students used marijuana in the month leading up to the survey, with use most likely in 11^th and 12^th grade..
• Rates of using marijuana have steadily decreased among high school students over time.

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Q121 During the past 30 days ,on how many days did you use marijuana or marijuana-related products (not including CBD oil)?

Drug Use on School Property

• Very few students used e-cigarettes on school property in the month leading up to the survey.
• Rates of using e-cigarettes on school property are trending down over time, particularly among 6^th grade and high school students.

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Q114 During the past 30 days, how many times did you use vape products on school property?

Q122 During the past 30 days how many times did you use marijuana or marijuana-related products on school property?

• Very few students used marijuana on school property in the month leading up to the survey.
• Rates of using marijuana on school property decreased slightly among high school students over time.

Alcohol

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with recently drinking alcohol (6%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Recently using marijuana (73%)
• Recently using tobacco or nicotine products (69%)
• Recently using vaping products (66%)
• Not feeling supported by friends (11%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students (13%)
• Non-heterosexual students (13%)
• Male students (10%)

• Overall, 9% of students drank alcohol in the month leading up to the survey, though rates are much higher among 11^th and 12^th grade students.
• Rates of recently drinking alcohol have decreased over time, particularly among high school students.

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Q111 During the past 30 days, on how many days did you have at least one drink of alcohol?

Binge Drinking

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with recently binge drinking among those who drank alcohol recently (40%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Recently using tobacco or nicotine products (79%)
• Recently using vaping products (74%)
• Recently using marijuana (70%)
• Using unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking alcohol or self-harm (53%)

Demographic Characteristics

• N/A

• Among students who drank alcohol in the month leading up to the survey, 2 in 5 had 5+ drinks in a row within a couple of hours.
• As sample sizes are at times very low, rates fluctuate over time. However, binge drinking among high school students appears to be increasing.

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Q112 During the past 30 days, on how many days did you have 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row within a couple of hours?

Unsafe Driving

• Rates of some unsafe driving behaviors—like driving after using marijuana or while using a phone without a hands-free option— decreased among high school students over time.

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Driving Under the Influence

• Very few students recently drove after drinking alcohol.
• Rates have remained very low over time, and appear to be trending down.

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Q132 During the past 30 days, how many times did YOU drive a car or other vehicle when you had been drinking alcohol?

Q133 During the past 30 days, how many times did YOU drive a car or other vehicle when you had been using marijuana?

• Very few students recently drove after using marijuana, and rates have decreased among 12^th grade students over time.

Rode in a Vehicle With Someone Who Was Under the Influence

• Overall, 2% of students recently rode in a vehicle driven by a minor who was under the influence.
• The rate of riding in a vehicle driven by a minor who was under the influence appears to be trending down among 8^th grade and high school students.

• Similarly, few students rode in a vehicle driven by an adult who was under the influence.
• Among those who were in such a situation, most were with their parent or guardian.

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Q126 During the past 30 days, how many times did you ride in a car or other vehicle driven by a minor (under the age of 21) who had been drinking alcohol or using other drugs?

Q127 During the past 30 days, how many times did you ride in a car or other vehicle driven by an adult (over the age of 21) who had been drinking alcohol or using other drugs?

Drove a Car While Using a Phone

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with driving while using a phone “sometimes” or more often (16%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Witnessing unsafe driving behaviors (riding in a car with either a minor (50%) or an adult (38%) who had been drinking alcohol or using other drugs)
• Often or always feeling they need to respond to messages immediately (22%)
• Often feeling anxious (10+ days out of 30, 21%)
• Spending 6+ hours on weekdays after school on visual technology (21%)

Demographic Characteristics

• N/A

• Overall, just over 1 in 6 students drove a car while using a phone without a hands-free option in the month leading up to the survey.
• Rates of using a phone while driving have decreased among high school students over time, particularly from 2024 to 2026.

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Q134 During the past 30 days, have you driven a car while using a cell phone to talk, text, or access the internet or social media without a hands-free option?

Social Media & Cellphone Use

• Rates of parents not monitoring phone or social media use have decreased over time.
• Older students (8^th grade and high school) report lower rates of excessive visual media use over time.

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Parental Involvement in Cellphone Use

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with parents not monitoring cellphone use (48%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Using their phone while driving “sometimes” or more often (81%)
• Feeling they spend too much time on social media (59%) or their phone (58%)
• Not feeling supported by parents or caregivers (58%)
• Seeing explicit material, electronic or otherwise (55%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Hispanic or Latino/a (56%) and Southeast Asian American (54%) students

• Of those whose parents monitor their cellphone use, most follow the rules sometimes or always.
• Rates of parents not monitoring cellphone use have decreased over time among all students.

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Q155 Do your parents or guardians monitor your cell phone use such as where you keep it at night or how late you can use it?

Parental Involvement in Social Media Use

• Middle school students report much higher rates of their parents monitoring their social media use.
• Over time, parents are more likely to be monitoring use.

• Just over 1 in 10 students have a social media account their guardians do not know about, though the incidence of this is going down over time.

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Q166 Do you have any social media accounts that your parents or guardians don’t know about?

Q167 Do your parents or guardians monitor your social media accounts or how you use social media?

Time Spent on Social Media or Electronics

• Older students spend more time on social media compared to students in 6^th grade, with grades 8 through 12 spending an average of 2.6 hours on social media each weeknight.

• Rates of using visual media are similar across grades.
• Rates of spending 6+ hours on social media per day have decreased, particularly among 8^th grade and high school students since 2021.

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Q164 How much time do you spend weekdays after school using computers, television, phones, game consoles, or other visual technology for non-school related activities?

Q165 How much time do you spend weekdays on social media (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Discord, Reddit, or Twitch)?

Perceptions of Time Spent on Social Media or Phones

• As students get older, they report higher rates of thinking they spend too much time on their phones.
• Rates of feeling they spend too much time on their phones have decreased over time across grades, particularly for 8^th grade students.

• Similarly, older students report higher rates of feeling they spend too much time on social media.
• Rates of feeling they spend too much time on social media increased among high school students between 2022 and 2024 and have since remained stable.

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Do you think you spend too much time, about the right amount of time, or too little time:

Q160 On your cellphone?

Q161 On social media (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Discord, Reddit, or Twitch)?

Electronic Devices in the Bedroom

• As students get older, they report higher rates of keeping a cellphone or computer in their room at night.
• Rates of not having devices in their room at night have increased over time, particularly among 6^th grade students.

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Q151-154 When you go to sleep at night, what devices do you keep in your bedroom with you? Check all that apply:

Waking up at Night Because of Devices

• Most students do not wake up at night due to their devices. Over half of students turn their devices off before going to sleep.
• The rate of being woken at night by devices appears to be trending down.

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Q156 How many times do you wake up each night because your cell phone, tablet, computer, or other electronic device rings, you get notifications, or you hear an alarm or other noise from your devices?

Notifications and Messages

• Overall, just under 1 in 4 students (24%) feel the need to immediately respond to messages “often” or “always.”
• Rates of feeling the need to respond to messages immediately decreased slightly across all grades.

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Q157 How often do you feel as though you have to respond to messages from other people immediately?

Cellphone Use at School

• As students get older, they report higher rates of occasionally losing focus at school due to checking their phones.

• Most middle school students think phones must be off, silenced, or put away during school hours, while most high school students think they can use their phones between classes.

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Q158 Which of the following best describes your school’s policy or rules about using cellphones?

Q159 How often do you lose focus in class or at school because you are checking your cellphone?

Risky Online Behavior and Unwanted Contact

• 6% of students have been in risky or unwanted situations because of information shared electronically.
• Rates of being in such situations decreased since 2022, particularly among 8^th grade and high school students.

• 6% of students have had unwanted online contact from someone in the year leading up to the survey.
• Rates of being in such situations decreased since 2022 among all students.

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Q63 Have you ever found yourself in a risky/unwanted situation because of information you shared electronically (e.g., via social media, texting, or online)?

Q64 In the past 12 months, have you had unwanted contact from someone you talked to online?

Sexually Explicit Material

• Under 1 in 10 students (7%) sent or received sexually explicit messages or photos in the year leading up to �the survey.
• Rates of sending or receiving sexually explicit messages have decreased over time, particularly among 8^th grade and high school students.

• Overall, just under 1 in 4 students looked at pornographic material in the month leading up to the survey.
• Rates of viewing pornographic material have decreased, particularly among high school students since 2020.

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Q61 During the past 12 months, have you sent or received sexually explicit messages or photos electronically (e.g., sexting on Snapchat, Instagram, or other social media platform)?

Q62 During the past 30 days, on how many days have you seen or heard pictures, stories, sounds, or actions that show nudity or sexual behavior either in electronic or any other format?

Body Image & Dieting

• Perceived weight amongst students has not fluctuated significantly over time.
• Over time, high school students are less likely to have a strong desire to be thinner or to indicate their weight influences how they judge themselves.

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Perceived Weight

• Most students think they are about the right weight.
• Rates of feeling underweight or overweight fluctuate have remained relatively stable over time.

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*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with feeling overweight (22%):

Behavioral/Demographic Characteristics

• Feeling their weight influences how they judge themselves “usually” or “often” (56%)
• Using unhealthy dieting methods like vomiting or taking laxatives (48%)
• Black or African American (33%), Middle Eastern American (29%), and Hispanic or Latino/a (28%) students
• Non-binary (35%) and non-heterosexual (32%) students

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Q135 How do you describe your weight?

Weight Goals (General and Medical)

• Most students have not talked to a medical professional about their weight.
• Among those who have, most indicate that no changes were recommended.

• While only 17% of students think they are overweight, 26% are trying to lose weight.
• The number of students trying to lose weight has been declining for all students, particularly for 6^th grade and high school.

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Q136 Which of the following are you trying to do about your weight?

Q 139-141 In the past 12 months, have you talked with a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider about your weight? If yes, what did they recommend? Check all that apply.

Desire to be Thinner

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with having a strong desire to be thinner “often” or more frequently (22%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling their weight influences how they judge themselves “often” or more frequently (72%)
• Using unhealthy dieting methods like vomiting or taking laxatives (72%)
• Often feeling anxious (49%)
• Being bullied (38%) or cyberbullied (44%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (38%)
• Non-heterosexual students (35%)
• Non-binary (33%) or female (30%) students

• Most students “never” or “sometimes” have a strong desire to be thinner.
• Rates of having a strong desire to be thinner have decreased among all students over time, and particularly 6^th grade and high school students.

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Q138 I have a strong desire to be thinner.

Body Image

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with feeling their weight influences how they judge themselves “often” or more frequently (22%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Having a strong desire to be thinner “often” or more frequently (74%)
• Using unhealthy dieting methods like vomiting or taking laxatives (73%)
• Often feeling anxious (53%)
• Being bullied (42%) or cyberbullied (47%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Transgender students (37%)
• Non-heterosexual students (36%)
• Non-binary (36%) or female (30%) students

• Most students indicate their weight “never” or “sometimes” influences how they judge themselves.
• The rate of students who indicate their weight influences how they judge themselves has decreased over time amongst all students.

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Q137 My weight influences how I judge myself.

Unhealthy Dieting

• Of those who did anything to lose weight (without a doctor’s advice), most exercised or ate less food/fewer calories.
• Overall, 6% of students used unhealthy dieting methods like fasting or making themselves vomit.

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*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with unhealthy dieting (8%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling depressed (25%) or anxious (20%)
• Having a strong desire to be thinner “often” or more frequently (23%)
• Feeling their weight influences how they judge themselves “often” or more frequently (23%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Middle Eastern American (16%) and Black or African American (15%) students (mostly fasting, consider religious reasons)
• Non-binary (14%) or transgender (14%) students
• Non-heterosexual students (14%)

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Q142-150 During the past 30 days without a doctor’s advice, have you done any of the following to lose weight or keep from gaining weight? Select all that apply.

Lifestyle

• Rates of doing 3+ hours of homework have decreased over time among high school students.
• Most students get nearly 8 hours of sleep per weeknight, and this has remained stable over time.

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Homework

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with doing 3+ hours of homework each day (23%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling high amounts of stress from school/academic workload (33%) or events or pressure at home (29%)
• Using unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol or self-harm (28%)
• Not feeling they belong at school (28%)
• Getting 5 hours of sleep or less per night (38%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Asian American (34%), Southeast Asian American (29%), and American Indian or Alaska Native (29%) students
• Female students (30%)
• Non-heterosexual students (28%)

• High school students do more hours of homework on average compared to middle school students.
• Rates of doing 3 or more hours of homework each day have decreased over time, particularly among 8^th grade students.

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Q162 On average, how much time do you spend doing homework each day?

Sleep

*Aggregate: Characteristics associated with not getting enough sleep (5 hours or less per night, 9%):

Behavioral Characteristics

• Feeling depressed (23%) or anxious (22%)
• Feeling high stress levels from events or pressure at home (18%)
• Having a hard time making it through stressful events (15%)

Demographic Characteristics

• Non-binary (22%) and transgender (20%) students
• Non-heterosexual students (17%)
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (20%), Middle Eastern American (16%), Black or African American (15%), and Southeast Asian American (14%) students

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• Overall, students get close to 8 hours of sleep each night on average.
• Rates of sleeping less than 7 hours per night have declined over time, particularly for 8^th grade and high school students.

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Q163 On average, how many hours of sleep do you get each school night?

Going Without Food

• Overall, most students did not go without food, and these rates have remained stable over time.

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Q168 In the past 30 days, how many times have you gone without food or not eaten meals because there wasn’t enough food?

Moving Homes and Homelessness

• A small number of students (6%) students moved to a new home in the month leading up to the survey.

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Q169 In the past 12 months, did you move to a new apartment or house?

Q170 At any point in the past 12 months, were you homeless or did you worry about being homeless?

• Most students were not homeless and did not worry about housing in the year leading up to the survey.

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School District Participation Over Time

Census vs. Sample

• A census is a survey that includes everyone in the population being surveyed (e.g., all 6th or 12th grade youth). A sample surveys some members of the population, but not everyone.
• Emerson YRBS is designed to be as close to a census of 6th grade, 8th grade, and high school youth as possible. There are, however, some youth who did not participate in the survey, so technically, the YRBS is a sample.

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Student Demographic Characteristics

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*Note. Race and ethnicity percentages add to over 100% as students were allowed to select multiple options.

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Student Demographic Characteristics

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