Adolescent Health

New: Gender Dysphoria Report

Group of adolescent students smiling outside a school building

This section focuses on how adolescents develop and the issues they may face as they mature. Featured resources provide more information on special topics in adolescent health.

  • Take Action for Adolescents™: The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) released Take Action for Adolescents – A Call to Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being! The call to action acknowledges the diverse experiences of young people ages 10-24 and prioritizes their health and well-being.
  • Adolescent Development Explained: Check out the OPA Adolescent Development Explained guide for information about the major developmental changes that occur in adolescence and how parents and caring adults can support adolescents.
  • Positive Youth Development: Learn about this strengths-based approach to adolescent health, meaningful youth engagement, and key practices for enhancing youth-serving programs.
  • National Adolescent Health Month™: OPA’s observance, National Adolescent Health Month, takes place each May. It emphasizes building on young people’s strengths, encourages meaningful youth engagement in adolescent health activities, and highlights key topics in adolescent health.
  • Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: Learn about trends in teen pregnancy, strategies and approaches for prevention, and tips for parents and caring adults.
  • Healthy Relationships in Adolescence: Learn about how adolescents form safe and healthy relationships with friends, parents, teachers, and romantic partners.
  • Mental Health for Adolescents: Learn about common mental health warning signs and disorders among adolescents, disparities in access to mental health services, and treatment resources.
  • Substance Use in Adolescence: Get information and resources about adolescent substance use and ways to prevent it.
  • Physical Health in Developing Adolescents: Learn about the importance of clinical preventive services, how adolescents can be involved in their health care, and healthy behaviors for adolescents.
  • Adolescent Health Data: Check out interactive tools that allow users to explore publicly available federal data on the demographic and health characteristics of adolescents in the United States.
  • Gender Affirming Care and Young People: Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this webpage as of February 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate, and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children, by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women, by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department rejects it. 

Featured Adolescent Health Resources

Gender Dysphoria Report

Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices is a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences (ABES) Survey

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released ABES data highlighting the magnitude of the challenges our nation’s youth faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study captured information on:

  • Student health risk behaviors,
  • Experiences with COVID-19, and
  • Emotional well-being.

This study is a nationally representative survey of U.S. high school students that explores how the pandemic impacted adolescents. 

Online Health and Safety for Children and Youth

This report from the Kids Online Health and Safety (KOHS) Task Force summarizes:

  • Risks and benefits for young people’s health, safety, and privacy;
  • Best practices for parents and caregivers;
  • Recommended practices for industry; and
  • A research agenda.

KOHS is co-led by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.