MILWAUKEE — More of Wisconsin’s kids are facing mental health hurdles and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is only partially to blame.

“We do know that even before the pandemic, the levels of anxiety and depression among our youth were rising and had been for several years,” Linda Hall, director of the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, said. “What we know that the pandemic did is that it caused all these disruptions: Disruptions in family life, disruptions in their normal daily contact with their peers, [folks] at school and the school staff.”

While Hall said there are a series of steps parents can take to make sure their children are acclimating to their in-person education and classrooms this year, she said the simplest step is for parents to take time with their kids.

“The other real important thing for adults to do is to take a few minutes every day to just listen to their kids — just listen,” Hall added. “No agenda, no preconceived notions of what they’re actually saying — just listen to what they’re saying.”

Watch the full interview above.