"“It’s anxiety and this fear of being able to step out and try things and being able to fail,” said Dr. Gabriel Cline, a psychologist in Missouri who participated in the survey and agreed to be interviewed. “Kids are more and more isolated. They are super connected via phones, but it’s still isolating. They are afraid of social judgment from their peers — whether it’s real or imagined — and they retreat.” Cline said he’s seen a spike in juvenile cases of anxiety and depression and only expects the cases of depression to grow in coming years. “When you have that anxiety and if it doesn’t get better, then they become hopeless and it turns into depression,” said Cline, who noted that he does see improvements when kids receive treatment."