Smart Stress Management: An AI‑Enabled Learning Model for Youth Mental Health in the Digital Era

Abstract

The psychological well-being of students in India has emerged as a national concern, with growing evidence from media reports, institutional observations, and statistical trends indicating rising stress, anxiety, and sociality. This study synthesizes Telugu media content, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, institutional reports, and a primary survey of 225 teachers and parents to examine the psychosocial stressors affecting Indian students. A mixed-method analytical approach was used, integrating descriptive statistics, chi-square goodness-of-fit tests, confidence intervals, and socio-psychological theoretical frameworks. Results reveal a 64% increase in student suicides between 2013 and 2022, an estimated 35 suicides daily, and exam pressure as the dominant stressor (60%). Survey findings indicate that 78.2% of respondents frequently observe student stress, 78.2% report increasing stress levels, and 68.9% state that no formal mental-health support system exists in institutions. Chi-square tests confirm statistically significant non-uniform patterns in stress observations, stress growth, stressors, support systems, and need for scientific interventions (p < 0.001). The findings, contextualized with recent Supreme Court directives on student mental health, underscore the urgent need to integrate structured stress-reduction programs, institutional counseling, and policy-level mental-health frameworks in educational settings. The study concludes that student stress in India constitutes a public mental-health emergency requiring immediate academic, familial, and policy interventions.