ELEM in the News

A response to Tom Levinson’s article, "The War Has Created a Tsunami of Mental Health Casualties in Israel" (Haaretz, June 22).

They listen, accompany, and hold for others what is too difficult to bear. But as the war drags on, there is a growing need to protect the field workers who are on the social frontlines of the crisis.

Liora Attias-Hadar is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American Friends of ELEM, the U.S.-based partner organization supporting ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel.

According to data presented yesterday at the Science and Technology Committee, 49% use AI for emotional support or counseling, and 20% view the chatbot as a romantic partner.

While adults are convinced they’re using it to write school assignments, teenagers are actually sharing their deepest emotional struggles with AI.

More and more teenagers are finding themselves in a violent reality that feels almost normal to them.

The worrying data indicates that one in four teenagers in Israel experiences bullying (a figure that matches PISA findings in OECD countries).

There has been an increase in serious youth offenses since the beginning of the war, and the system warns that without an inter-ministerial national plan, no fundamental change will occur.

Online youth violence spills over into real life. The question is no longer whether teenagers will be exposed to harm online, but rather how it happens.