The Rise in Childhood Anxiety: What Parents Need to Know in 2025
The Rise in Childhood Anxiety: What Parents Need to Know in 2025
Why Childhood Anxiety Is Increasing and What Parents Can Do
They’re not just shy or ‘acting out’—something deeper may be going on. In 2025, childhood anxiety continues to rise at a rate that concerns pediatricians, educators, and mental health professionals. Left unaddressed, it can significantly impact a child’s emotional development, school success, and long-term relationships.
Parents are encouraged to recognize early warning signs and seek professional help from licensed therapists at Authentic Growth Wellness Group, offering childhood anxiety therapy and counseling for kids in Glen Ellyn.
Why More Kids Are Experiencing Anxiety Today?
More children are being diagnosed with anxiety disorders each year, and multiple environmental and neurological factors are contributing to this surge. Experts monitoring child mental health trends have observed a steady rise in early-onset anxiety symptoms across the U.S., particularly in children between the ages of 5 and 12.
Bold school transitions and post-holiday periods are also major stressors. For practical parent strategies, read this guide on helping kids overcome anxiety after holidays.
Academic Pressure, Post-COVID Stressors, and Social Media
Today’s students face mounting academic demands, shrinking unstructured time, and chronic exposure to adult concerns via digital media.
- Research published by the American Psychological Association shows that over 70% of kids aged 9–13 report school stress in kids as their top concern.
- Studies indicate that increased screen time, particularly on social platforms, is linked with poor sleep and rising anxiety symptoms in preteens.
- A loss of critical social-emotional learning opportunities during the pandemic has delayed the development of self-regulation skills in many children.
This combination of stressors overwhelms young nervous systems that are still developing, making emotional self-regulation especially difficult.
Neurodivergence Being Misunderstood as Anxiety
Behaviors such as hypervigilance, avoidance, or rigidity are sometimes incorrectly assumed to be anxiety-driven when they may relate to sensory processing differences or executive function delays.
Mental health providers trained in early intervention therapy can help distinguish anxiety from underlying neurodevelopmental traits—ensuring children receive the right support, at the right time.
Unaddressed symptoms like these are key indicators that stress management efforts need to become a priority—not a luxury.
For helpful ways to reduce daily stress before it manifests physically, read this guide on Everyday Stress and Anxiety Coping Mechanisms.
Stats to Show Rising Numbers
You sleep, but you don’t feel rested. That’s because your body is stuck in high-alert mode, making deep restorative sleep hard to access. If every day feels like waking up in the middle of a marathon, it’s more than being “just tired.” This level of fatigue is one of the most common reasons people seek stress management therapy—especially when rest no longer feels restorative.
Sudden Changes in Appetite or Digestion
Pediatric mental health experts report a sharp increase in generalized anxiety among children aged 5–12.
- More than 1 in 5 school-aged children in the U.S. now meet criteria for an anxiety disorder.
- Rates of separation anxiety, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorders have increased significantly in recent years, particularly among school-age children.
- Emergency room visits for mental health crises in children aged 6–12 have doubled in the last five years.
These figures reflect both improved awareness and a growing need for qualified services like anxiety therapy for children.
Key Signs of Childhood Anxiety in Children
While anxiety looks different from one child to another, certain behavioral and physical patterns are consistently seen among young clients in therapy.
Trouble Sleeping, Stomach Aches, and School Refusal
Children often express emotional discomfort through somatic symptoms:
- Frequent headaches or stomach pain, especially before school or social events
- Ongoing difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Strong resistance to attending school, despite no academic or social concerns
These patterns may indicate underlying emotional overload, not physical illness.
Perfectionism, Clinginess, or Meltdowns Over Routine Change
Anxious children often display high sensitivity to routine disruptions. Behaviors might include:
- Intense frustration when routines are interrupted
- Excessive need for reassurance from adults
- Rigid expectations about outcomes or performance
These patterns are common among kids who haven’t yet developed flexible coping strategies.
Withdrawal From Friends or Play
Social withdrawal is a key behavioral shift to watch for:
- Refusing to engage in group play or once-loved hobbies
- Choosing isolation over connection with peers
- Reduced laughter or imaginative play
At AGWG, we use child-centered play therapy in Hinsdale, IL, to reintroduce safe connection and help children build trust through play.
Clinician Insight: What We’re Seeing in 2025
“At AGWG, we’re seeing a shift in how childhood anxiety presents. Kids as young as six are exhibiting signs like school refusal, meltdowns after routine changes, and unexplained stomachaches—often misunderstood as behavioral issues. But these are actually early stress signals. When families seek support early, we’re able to prevent those patterns from becoming lifelong emotional struggles.”
— AGWG Child Therapy Team, Licensed Clinical Counselors
Our therapy team specializes in childhood anxiety therapy in Hinsdale, IL, and counseling for kids in Glen Ellyn, using child-centered methods that help children build emotional resilience.
Why Childhood Anxiety Can’t Be Ignored
Mental health professionals are sounding the alarm—and the numbers confirm it.
- 1 in 5 U.S. children now meets the clinical criteria for an anxiety disorder
- 2x increase in emergency mental health visits for children aged 6–12 (CDC, 2024)
- 70% of preteens rank school stress as their #1 anxiety trigger (APA, 2024)
These statistics reflect both better awareness and the urgent need for early childhood anxiety therapy guided by trained professionals.
Why Early Support for Childhood Anxiety Makes a Difference?
Early identification and support significantly reduce the long-term impact of anxiety in children. Emotional resilience, like any skill, is easier to build during early development.
Emotional Habits Form Early
Children between ages 5 and 10 are actively forming emotional regulation patterns that shape how they handle stress throughout life.
Repeated avoidance or overreaction to stress without support creates neural pathways that reinforce fear-based responses. Therapeutic interventions help rewire those patterns toward calm and clarity.
Kids Don’t “Grow Out of It”—They Learn to Suppress
Suppression does not equal resolution. Children who appear to “outgrow” their anxiety may simply internalize it, which can later manifest as:
- Panic attacks
- Chronic stress disorders
- Depression in adolescence or adulthood
For holistic support options that blend clinical care and emotional regulation, explore our IFS therapy group support in Glen Ellyn.
This underscores the need for counseling for teens in Hinsdale, IL, as early preventive care.
Therapy Provides Tools and Language for Emotional Regulation
Structured therapy equips children with emotional vocabulary and regulation strategies, including:
- Identifying body cues tied to anxiety
- Practicing breathing and grounding exercises
- Naming emotions without judgment
- Learning self-advocacy skills in school and at home
At AGWG, we integrate these tools into childhood anxiety therapy, Hinsdale using age-appropriate methods that children respond to with comfort and trust.
How AGWG Helps Children Manage Childhood Anxiety Confidently?
Professional support in childhood makes it more likely that kids will grow into emotionally resilient adults. We offer anxiety treatment plans that combine compassion, structure, and clinical expertise.
Licensed Child Therapists Using Age-Appropriate Tools
Our clinical team includes therapists trained in modalities proven effective for treating anxiety, such as:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for kids
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) methods
- Parent-coached sessions for emotional consistency
- Therapeutic play for children Hinsdale and Glen Ellyn offices
In some cases, children struggling with worry and physical symptoms may also benefit from integrated care like mental health counseling in Hinsdale, IL, especially when anxiety is connected to trauma or long-term stress.
All therapy is customized based on developmental stage, family dynamics, and individual emotional needs.
Warm, Welcoming Spaces in Hinsdale & Glen Ellyn
Children benefit from therapy environments that are safe and calming. Our spaces are intentionally designed to reduce sensory overload and promote emotional expression.
- Soft lighting and child-friendly visuals
- Play materials that foster expression and creativity
- Quiet zones for children with sensory sensitivities
We also offer specialized stress management therapy in Glen Ellyn for children dealing with ongoing emotional overload, helping them learn how to calm their bodies and minds in real time.
Families in both towns trust AGWG not only for our therapeutic approach, but for the warmth we extend from the moment a child walks in.
Book a Childhood Anxiety Consultation Today
Professional support is one step away. Whether you’re concerned about behavioral changes or seeking guidance for stress-related concerns, our licensed therapists are ready to help.
Call (630) 796-0884 or request an appointment online. You may also visit our childhood anxiety therapy in Hinsdale IL page to learn more.
Note:
This article was reviewed by the child and teen therapy team at AGWG, including licensed clinicians trained in anxiety treatment for children using CBT, IFS, and play therapy models.
