New Delhi, June 10 -- India's greatest asset is also its greatest responsibility. Nearly half the country's population is under 25. This holds the potential for a generational economic leap-but that potential is contingent on something tacitly acknowledged but not explicitly stated: the social and emotional health of children and adolescents as they navigate an increasingly demanding world.

The warning signs deserve attention. Available evidence points to a growing burden of mental health challenges among school-going children, compounded by the structural pressures of academic competition, digital over-exposure and the erosion of traditional support networks.

The institutions meant to address this-helplines, counselling services, child...