Recent student unrest across several European countries has made it urgent that we understand their problems. Too often, however, this discussion happens in narrow contexts—particularly regarding electoral implications and political power. From the perspective of finding durable solutions, we need a much wider view of youth welfare in the West.
Beyond the well-known issues already extensively discussed, is it not of the greatest importance—from the standpoint of genuine concern for student welfare—that we deeply engage with the alarming rise in depression, mental health problems, and even suicide attempts among students in several of these countries? How many people realize that 10 percent of high school students in the USA have already attempted suicide at this tender stage, or that suicidal thoughts among those aged 18-24 nearly doubled in France in just seven years? These and other aspects of youth distress indicate that many young people with deep sensitivity are crying out for a deeper and better understanding of their problems and feelings.
The Crushing Burden of Early Debt
One troubling aspect is that of students facing economic stress and even debts at a very early stage of life. Young people should be able to start life on a note of freedom and liberty. They should be entirely free to act according to the voice of their heart regarding what is the most promising and satisfying path for them. They should be able to choose work where they feel they can contribute most to society. They should be free to walk the path less travelled, if this is what they really want to do in life.
But this becomes very difficult if the young are burdened with debts right at the start. Unfortunately, this is precisely what has happened in some of the richest countries, denying important democratic choices to young people when they need this most. In the USA, student debt burden has reached approximately 1,860 billion dollars, with an average balance of around 40,000 dollars per student. For those suffering greater difficulties, the situation is even worse.
Problems for college-leaving youth increase due to the fact that payments for many trainees in corporate units are all too low—sometimes even nil—while repayment obligations start all too soon. A survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 40 percent of interns in corporate units were unpaid. To student debt should be added the burden of credit card debt. Serious delinquency has been reported at exceptionally high levels for the 18-29 age group. Not just mental tension but physical illness related to this has been reported by 20 percent of indebted youth in surveys.
In the UK, the problem of student debt is also serious, and most indebted students have associated this with mental health and other problems. A recent headline in The Telegraph (October 6, 2026) said: "EU graduates dodge 360 million British pounds in student loan repayment." While the newspaper was more worried about repayment, the issue is more about the genuine difficulties students face—difficulties that also cause academic loss. The journal Chemistry World reported on October 26 about the adverse impacts of debt on the study of science in the UK: "A generation of students feel betrayed by the establishment and the hidden inequalities embedded into the flawed system." This is causing a drain of talent, the journal said.
While the problem of student debt has been widely recognized in the context of the USA and the UK, there is a widespread perception that this problem is not serious in several other European countries because of lower educational fees. However, in several European countries the situation is changing and economic stress for students is increasing.
As the BM 75 Resolution of the European Students Union (co-funded by the European Union) stated in 2018: "In Europe more and more countries are getting into a system which forces many young people to get into debt." According to this resolution, in the Netherlands the government eliminated the basic monthly grant for students, leading to reduced access to education for economically vulnerable students and increasing average debt per student by 6,000 Euros—bringing the average to 21,000 Euros. The resolution added that in Ireland student charges doubled since 2011, forcing students to miss classes while taking up low-paid jobs.
When Consumerism Meets Economic Stress
In several countries, it is not increasing education-related expenses but other aspects of the rising cost of living—housing and daily needs—that have become the main cause of increasing economic stress and debt for students. On one hand, in the wider social system of consumerism and high-profile advertising, very attractive lifestyles are displayed and emphasized. On the other hand, many youth feel not just deprived of this for now but also in the future because of debt incurred during student days. Sometimes they are tempted to spend much beyond their means, increasing their economic stress and debt further. If they get caught up in addictions—alcohol, drugs, or online gambling—the situation becomes even more difficult.
Several surveys have linked debt and economic stress to adverse health, but this also has an adverse impact on family life. When young persons are starting a family—supposed to be the sweetest time in life—all too often it must be spent under the shadow of debt. Many young college-educated couples are unable to afford satisfactory housing or have to postpone having their first child for too long.
If young persons are saddled with debt when they emerge from college, they are already under tremendous pressure to start earning a certain amount of money immediately. This leaves them little time to wait until they can find a livelihood that is satisfying for them in a social and ethical sense, apart from meeting their essential economic needs.
As the yearning of youthful hearts for living and working according to their ideals is not satisfied, and as their deeper social-spiritual aspirations are frustrated at an early stage, this often leads to flowers drying up before they can blossom—sometimes leading to destructive tendencies such as substance abuse and family quarrels.
A Social Loss the System Ignores
This is not just an individual loss but a social loss. Young people can best contribute to creating a better society only when they are able to work in keeping with their social-spiritual urges and related creativities. While this is certainly a big social loss if the aim is to create a better society, it appears that the capitalist system does not really mind this loss. From the point of view of this system, it is actually helpful that those freshly emerging with college education try—not having much of an option due to their debts—to get absorbed very quickly in the existing system without raising too many questions, experimenting with genuine alternatives, or exploring less-travelled paths.
This is perhaps the reason why solutions that can permanently end this heavy indebtedness of young people are not even being sought. What is on the agenda is often very partial debt relief. One-time debt cancellation would provide some relief, but as long as the system remains the same, debts will pile up once again. Clearly, more systemic change is needed to avoid student indebtedness and bring other desirable changes—but such far-reaching reforms do not appear to be on the agenda at present.
The Mental Health Crisis
Partly related to economic problems but also having roots in a much wider crisis is the serious issue of large-scale mental health problems among youth. In the USA, the Centers for Disease Control recently summarized the situation in a single sentence: "Youth in the US are experiencing a mental health crisis."
In the journal Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, an important research paper by Steven H. Woolf (October 28, 2025) tells us that in 2023 about 40 percent of high school students in the USA reported persistent sadness or helplessness, 18 percent had experienced major depression, and 10 percent had attempted suicide. In the age group 10-19, during 2007-17 there was an 85 percent rise in suicide rate. Given such official data, a society should give up everything else to just care better for those in their tender years.
In Europe, the European University Association reported in 2022 that 40 percent of higher education students in the European Union experience mental health or well-being difficulties, with around 20 percent facing a mental health disorder. In Ireland, in the 18-25 age group, about 17 percent face severe or very severe depression. In France, those with suicidal thoughts in the 18-24 age group doubled during 2014-21.
A recent survey by the Class Foundation revealed that 66 percent of European students face financial hardship, which strongly correlates with declining mental health. However, mental health problems should not be seen only in terms of economic stress. In reality, these are related also to a wider social-ethical crisis about which the establishment does not wish to speak, drawing attention instead to other factors like excess social media—which is more of a symptom than a cause.
The Ethical Crisis
The ethical crisis arises from societies becoming increasingly distanced from true welfare objectives and from policies of justice, peace, and environment protection. The suffering of millions of people, including those in distant places, related to wrong and aggressive policies is also a frequent manifestation of the ethical crisis.
Students are often in the middle of handling a lot of academic burden in intensely competitive conditions, which can also increase stress. On the other hand, there is a feeling in sensitive minds that amid the ethical crisis, even academic success may not lead to a life of great purpose and true contributions for a better world. They have heard a lot about climate change and now feel its impacts in real life, but effective solutions appear to be far away. Policies of inequality are also seen by students more directly in inequalities relating to education and related opportunities.
The Addiction Epidemic
Various stresses, uncertainties, and alienation from a wider purpose in life lead to large-scale prevalence of many addictions, seen at increasingly younger ages, with the gender gap also closing. About 73 percent of European students have tried alcohol, and 30 percent practice binge drinking. Illicit drug use among teenagers aged 15-16 is 14 percent, use of non-medical pharmaceuticals is also 14 percent, vaping is resorted to by 22 percent, while 14 percent are into online gambling.
In the USA, 757,000 teens have alcohol use disorder. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 42 percent of teenagers in 12th grade have already abused alcohol. Alcohol and related problems are higher among young adults in the 18-26 age group. Problems caused by fentanyl and synthetic opioids have been very serious in recent years, and drug overdose deaths have been high even for tender age groups.
Many aspects of youth distress—including overall sadness, lack of wellness, and most distressingly suicidal thoughts and attempts—have been reported at higher levels for girl students. Sexual violence too has been at a high level. In the USA, about 25 percent of undergraduate female students have experienced sexual violence.
Towards Holistic Solutions
These and several aspects of youth distress must be understood together with their inter-relationships, taking a holistic view, for real and durable solutions to emerge. Alienation, debt and economic burdens, mental health problems, social-ethical crisis, lack of purpose, addictions—all are inter-related.
Those who are close to students with real commitment to understand their stress and distress will understand this much better than those who are merely trying to use the pent-up feelings and emotions of students for their narrow objectives. One can only hope that efforts in the former category will get more support and success. As all the problems are inter-related, sincere efforts to solve them based on their true understanding can potentially lead to very encouraging success.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include "Planet in Peril," "Protecting Earth for Children," and "A Day in 2071." His website is bharatdogra.in, and his YouTube channel is Bharat Dogra | Save Earth Campaign
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