KANSAS CITY, Kan. — AT&T announced Wednesday that it has joined forces with local nonprofits to support initiatives that enhance youth mental health and combat teen suicide.
The announcement came as Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt's office released a report that said deaths by suicide for children in the state rose 50% from 2016 to 2017.
"The number of U.S. teens and young adults dying of suicide has reached it's highest level in two decades," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said at a press conference announcing AT&T's Believe Kansas City program. "We must end this tragic trend."
AT&T "will promote awareness and generate support around youth issues and suicide prevention in Kansas and Missouri" in addition to donating "more than $300,000 to organizations that support programs impacting youth in the Kansas City metropolitan area," according to press release announcing the Believe Kansas City program.
"We looked at the data and saw that it's a problem nationally, but the trends and the rates in Kansas City were outpacing national levels. It was a big wake up call for us," Alyson Woodward, AT&T vice president and general manager of entertainment for various state, said.
Nationwide, more people die each year from suicide than in homicides.
Kansas has the 15th-highest suicide rate per capita, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It's one reason Kelly decided to act.
"The second leading cause of death for young people in Missouri and Kansas is suicide," she said. "That's completely unacceptable."
Smart phones may play a significant role in the rise of youth suicide rates. A 2017 NPR report found that teens who spend five or more hours per day on a smart phone are 71% more likely to have at least one risk factor of suicide.
"I think kids are under a ton of pressure these days," Children's Mercy Hospital Child Psychologist Dr. Shayla Sullivant said. "They have access to each other in a way we never did growing up. With social media, it's hard to sometimes just turn it off and have a little bit of peace."
AT&T acknowledged that cell phones can be addicting and have been linked to depression, which is why the company feels compelled to get involved in the community.
"I think everybody has an obligation to make these kids feel safe and to let them know there is better over the hill," Woodard said.
Meanwhile, Sullivant encourages parents to be more proactive when it comes to monitoring teen phone usage and to be open about suicide.
"What we want kids to know is that there is hope," Sullivant said. "There is no situation too terrible that we couldn't help you with."
Last summer, the Kansas Attorney General's Office formed a Youth Prevention Suicide Task Force, which made recommendations for ways to help reduce the number of child suicides. Among the suggestions was an app for at-risk youths and creating a suicide prenvention coordinator for the state.
