In Canada, May is officially observed as Mental Health Awareness Month, providing an opportunity to increase understanding of mental health, reduce stigma, and highlight the value of mental health supports and services. Mental health is a fundamental aspect of overall health, affecting individuals, families, and communities across all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The month emphasizes the importance of inclusive, supportive communities and addresses systemic barriers such as poverty, discrimination, and gender-based violence that can limit access to care.

In celebration of Mental Awareness Month, Canada’s own Tara Hodgson is bringing renewed focus through her Young Adult novels, At Least I’m Trying and Chasing Through Time!

1. With the incessant social media barrage, do you feel mental health is more at risk? I absolutely do, and this applies to both youth and adults. The more time people spend on screens, the less time they spend socializing, being outside, moving their bodies, and engaging with the world around them. Instead, they’re more likely to become isolated, sedentary, and stuck indoors. This correlates directly with mental health impacts. Social media also presents a carefully curated highlight reel, one that can be incredibly damaging when people compare their real lives to it. Algorithms set a dangerous precedent. People often don’t realize they’re being repeatedly fed specific types of content, and the more they engage with it, the more of it they’ll continue to see. As a result, someone who is already struggling may end up consuming content that reinforces those struggles.
2. Cyber bullying is a real threat, how can parents protect their children? Cyberbullying is an unfortunate reality that comes with giving kids access to screens, much like bullying exists in real life. The difference is that online bullying doesn’t end when the school day does; kids carry it home with them in their back pocket, and there’s often no escape from it. This leads to significantly more detrimental mental health effects.
   In my opinion, both as a parent and a teacher, adults have a responsibility to be involved. If you choose to give your child access to the entire world behind a screen, you have the responsibility to monitor what’s happening on those screens, setting healthy limits around screen time, and having the difficult but necessary conversations about online behaviour, mental health, and digital safety
3. How can we increase human connection? I see far too many kids choosing screens over human interaction. Instead of spending time with friends, making their own memories, or simply being present, many would rather scroll on TikTok or spend hours playing online games.
   I recently read a quote that said this is the first generation of children who will experience more of other people’s memories than their own, and that stuck with me. I find it incredibly sad.
   Again, I believe parents play a significant role in preventing this from becoming the norm. Early conversations about screen use, healthy habits, and firm boundaries are essential. Kids need opportunities to build real experiences, relationships, and memories instead of becoming overly immersed in curated versions of other people’s lives.
4. Have you witnessed mental health changes in your students since beginning teaching? I definitely have. Mental health struggles have always existed among youth; being a teenager is difficult regardless of the generation one grows up in. However, when I first started teaching in 2007, these challenges seemed far less common or, at least, less visible.
   Over time, I’ve seen a significant increase in anxiety, depression, avoidance behaviours, self-harm, and other mental health concerns among students.
5. Do you feel your novels allow more understanding of mental health within teen culture? I hope so. I started writing because I felt helpless watching what so many young people were going through, and I didn’t see those realities being addressed in fiction as often or as honestly as they should.
   With youth, there’s no point in sugarcoating things. They want honesty even when it’s uncomfortable, so that’s the approach I choose to take in my writing. Topics like self-harm, depression, suicide, overwhelming pressure, and mental health struggles are affecting young people every single day and it’s a disservice to them if we pretend they aren’t.
   As difficult as these conversations can be, I believe facing these issues head-on is far more meaningful than avoiding them. Honest stories can open the door to understanding, awareness, and conversations that many young people desperately need.
6. With emoji’s being used for bullying more and more, can parents, teachers, and guardians establish safeguards? The biggest safeguard is knowledge. As a parent, teacher, or guardian, if you aren’t aware of what’s happening online or don’t have open communication, it becomes much harder to navigate these challenges effectively, especially considering new ones are arising almost daily.
   Kids are incredibly smart, especially when it comes to technology, which is why staying involved, asking questions, and monitoring what’s happening online is so important.
7. How do you interact with your students who are experiencing mental stress? Kids just want someone to talk to who will listen to them and make them feel heard and understood. Letting them know you’re there and not passing judgement helps.
8. Should mental health and available resources be taught in schools? I wish there was more support already in place, but unfortunately, where I live, ongoing budget cuts make consistent mental health education and support difficult to maintain. While there are yearly initiatives aimed at raising awareness, I don’t believe they go nearly far enough.
9. Is there enough awareness of mental health within society? I think awareness around mental health is increasing, which is encouraging. However, I don’t think the connection between screen use and mental health is receiving nearly enough attention yet, especially given how quickly technology is evolving with things like AI and social media algorithms.
   More honest conversations need to happen, and far more education is needed so parents, educators, and youth can better understand both the benefits and the risks of the digital world they’re growing up in.
10. Where can readers find you?
    I primarily update readers on Instagram @tarahodgsonauthor. I’m also on Facebook and my website is http://www.tarahodgson.ca

https://bit.ly/atleastimtrying

This gripping tale of bridging the gap between eras explores the enduring power of human connection, the complexities of teenage life, and the lengths to which a stranger will go to save a life.

https://bit.ly/chasingthroughtime

About Tara

Tara Hodgson is the YA contemporary author of Chasing Through Time and At Least I’m Trying. As a long-time teacher, she is passionate about communicating the potential implications of a technology-centred world and spark necessary conversations about these impacts on teens, using her fiction to do so. She lives on an acreage in Sturgeon County, Alberta with her husband, two children, and a crew of cats and dogs. When she isn’t teaching or writing, she is reading. She loves all genres of books, but especially YA Contemporary, Fantasy, and Dystopian (but she’ll read anything, really!) She spends her down time walking, camping, boating, and relaxing at home with her family and animals.: TARA HODGSON - Home

To request additional review copies or an interview with Tara Hodgson, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.