Tom Levinson's powerful investigation holds up a painful and urgent mirror to Israeli society. The official figures on psychological trauma, along with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis whose struggles now meet clinical thresholds, point to a crisis of enormous scale. But as Head of Trauma Services at ELEM, I would like to remind readers that psychological trauma is never only an individual story. Its effects extend far beyond the person who is suffering.

When a reserve soldier returns home carrying a moral injury, or when a civilian develops severe PTSD, the impact ripples through the entire family. Trauma reshapes the lives of spouses, parents, children, extended family members, friends, and colleagues.

Yet the group most urgently in need of our attention is often overlooked: the children of those struggling with trauma.

Israel's youth in 2026 are growing up amid prolonged conflict, repeated trips to bomb shelters, disruptions to school and daily life, and all the ordinary challenges of adolescence. For teenagers whose parent returns from combat — or from life under constant rocket fire — deeply traumatized, the sense of safety and stability that a home should provide can disappear.

When the strongest source of security in a young person's life becomes a place marked by anxiety, silence, tension, or even violence, the consequences can be profound:

• Rising rates of anxiety and depression.
• Increased risk-taking behaviors, violence, and substance use as teens attempt to cope with pain and loneliness.
• Growing numbers of young people experiencing severe emotional distress and suicidal thoughts.

The data cited in the article — a 31% increase in anxiety diagnoses among youth and a 23% rise in eating disorders — are only the visible signs of a much deeper crisis.

These young people are Israel's future. If we continue to look away, and fail to recognize that supporting those affected by trauma must also include supporting their children, we risk raising an entire generation carrying wounds that have gone untreated.

I call on policymakers, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Welfare, and the Ministry of Defense to make support for these children a national priority. ELEM and other civil society organizations meet these young people every day. We see their fear, their exhaustion, and their resilience. We will continue to stand beside them, but the system must do more.

We cannot heal individuals without also strengthening the families and environments around them.

These children are carrying burdens no young person should have to bear. How we support them today will shape all of our futures.