Australia is in the midst of a youth anxiety crisis. Data shows that anxiety affects 7 percent of 11-year-olds, rising to 11 percent by age 15, and peaking at a staggering 32 percent in the 16 to 24 age group. (1)
For many families, educators, and family support workers these numbers are not surprising. They reflect what we see every day: young people overwhelmed by pressure, paralysed by perfectionism, or disengaging from school and life altogether.
But here’s the good news: this trend can be reversed with early intervention strategies for mild to moderate anxiety in children. It starts with changing how significant adults respond to anxiety – in homes, in classrooms, and across communities.
How schools and families can reverse the trend: the pattern we must break
It is important to understand that not all anxiety is inherently bad - it's actually a natural human response that evolved to help us survive and can be helpful for children and teens (like motivating and inspiring them to prepare for a big sports event, or exam). The key is understanding when anxiety serves a child or teen well and when it becomes counterproductive to their ability to manage ‘normal life challenges.’ Unhelpful anxiety, left unaddressed, tends to spiral. What begins as reluctance to speak up in class or sleep away from home can snowball into school refusal, social withdrawal, or even depression. Data shows that 85 percent of depressed adolescents have a history of childhood anxiety. (2 ) We also know that highly anxious children in Year 1 are ten times more likely to be in the bottom third of their class by Year 5. (3)
Avoidance may bring short-term relief, but it reinforces fear. Over time, children learn not that the world is safe; that it must be avoided.
Why our response matters
Anxiety is treatable. But it depends on how the significant adults in a child’s life respond. Parents, teachers, support workers, and community staff all play a vital role in interrupting the cycle of anxiety and avoidance.
That’s why we developed the evidence-based Resilience In Our Teens and in conjunctional with the NSW Primary Principals’ Association The Anxiety Project. These whole-school projects use cognitive behavioural strategies to reduce student anxiety and build resilience. They equip school leaders, teachers, school staff, and parents with tools to:
Identify anxious patterns early
Reduce anxiety accommodations in classrooms and at home
Guide students to face, rather than avoid, their fears
Shift school culture to support mental wellbeing and learning outcomes.
For professionals working with families: The Anxiety Coach for Child & Family Specialists
This one-day training helps community workers and case managers support parents whose children are struggling with anxiety. It focuses on:
Teaching parents how to manage their child’s anxious behaviour without reinforcing it
Coaching children through discomfort rather than rescuing them from it
Reducing dependency on services by building family capability.
The results speak for themselves
From The Anxiety Project 2024–2025 school cohort:
Teacher confidence
to recognise child anxiety increased from
43.8% to 66.4%
Student anxiety
scores (SAS-TR) dropped across all categories, with more students moving into the non-clinical range
Schools reported cultural shifts in staff mindset, behaviour response, and parent engagement.
“Students are now able to articulate their feelings and what's going on in their mind. They are able to discuss, and it helps them to improve.” - School Leader, The Anxiety Project.
What you can do
If you work with children, teens, or families – whether in a school or a community setting – you can help turn this trend around.
Upcoming training options:
The Anxiety Project (for schools) Now taking Expressions of interest for the 2026/27 intake. Register your interest.
Resilience In Our Teens (for secondary schools) Free information session, Tuesday 9 September, 2.00pm-2.45pm: REGISTER.
The Anxiety Coach (for community & family professionals) WEBINARS: 27 August, 9.00am-4.00pm: REGISTER. Refresher course for previously certified: REGISTER. 30 October, 9.00am-4.00pm: REGISTER.
Refresher course for previously certified: REGISTER.
The rising rates of anxiety are not inevitable. With the right tools, the right training, and the right mindset, we can raise a generation that faces challenges with courage, not avoidance.
Let’s start now.
1. McGorry, P. D., et al. (2024). The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health.
2. Costello, E. J., et al. (2003). Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(8), 837–844.
3. Sawyer, M. G., et al. (2010). The mental health of young people in Australia: key findings from the second national survey of young people’s mental health and wellbeing.