Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
BALTIMORE, MD — Today, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller joined the Governor’s Office for Children, the Child Mind Institute, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore to announce the release of the Maryland Youth Digital Wellness Playbook, a best-practices guide for young people, parents, and educators to support children and young people’s mental health in a digital age.
Developed in partnership with the Child Mind Institute, an independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children affected by mental health disorders, the Playbook is a practical, evidence-based tool designed to help youth, caregivers, and educators translate research into actionable strategies for healthier digital engagement. The launch comes as adolescent depression rates in the U.S. have nearly doubled since 2005, with research showing that young people who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of depression and anxiety.
“Today, supporting young people’s mental health means understanding the role the digital world plays in their daily lives,” said Lt. Governor Aruna Miller. “This playbook gives families, educators, and communities practical tools to help young Marylanders build healthier habits, strengthen their resilience, and feel more confident navigating online spaces. It’s one more way we are showing up for our youth and making sure they have what they need to thrive both online, and off.”
The Playbook includes separate skill sheets for elementary students and teens that focus on mindfulness, reframing unhelpful thoughts, and managing the compulsive behaviors often driven by social media and gaming. In addition to providing universal support for all youth, the Playbook will also include gender-specific support to address the specific mental health challenges facing both boys and girls. Research indicates that girls often face elevated rates of cyberbullying and body dissatisfaction, while boys are more likely to turn to compulsive gaming and online gambling. In offering gender-specific resources, the Playbook supports Maryland’s Young Men and Boys Initiative – the Moore-Miller administration’s all-of-government approach to uplifting young men and boys in key areas, including mental health.
“The Child Mind Institute is proud to partner with the State of Maryland to help children and teens navigate the rapidly evolving digital world and its effects on their emotional well-being and development,” said Safiya Addison, Vice President of School and Community Programs at the Child Mind Institute. “The Maryland Youth Digital Wellness Playbook is an important step toward giving kids tools and strategies to build mindful digital habits they can practice daily.”
“The Governor’s Office for Children is proud to partner with the Child Mind Institute to create this resource, which represents a coordinated, statewide effort to support youth mental health specifically in online spaces,” said Governor’s Office for Children Special Secretary Carmel Martin. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to mental health, which is why this Playbook not only provides universal support for all youth but also age- and gender-specific support to address the specific mental health challenges facing young people. In offering these targeted resources, this Playbook furthers our administration’s Initiative to uplift Young Men and Boys, and supports the unique needs facing young people – without leaving anyone behind.”
The Maryland Youth Digital Wellness Playbook will be hosted on the Governor’s Office for Children website, providing a central resource for statewide access and use by community-based organizations. At launch, dissemination will be led in partnership with the Maryland Boys & Girls Clubs, which will distribute the Playbook across their more than 80 clubs statewide.
This launch of this statewide resource supports the Moore-Miller administration’s commitment to expanding opportunities for our youth and providing mental health services for all Marylanders. Since taking office, the administration has invested $1.4 billion in mental health services. The administration also recently launched the expansion of Maryland Youth Mental Health Corps, part of the Maryland Corp/Maryland’s Service Year Option program. Under this first-of-its-kind program, an additional 100 young adults will serve with Boys and Girls Clubs – providing youth in local communities with mental health services and expanding the behavioral health workforce pipeline.
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