But NSPCC Childline counsellors hear from young people here in Hampshire and across the UK every day who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and stress.

In fact, more than half of all Childline counselling sessions delivered last year were with children experiencing mental health struggles – 82,882 counselling sessions took place on this topic between April 2024 and March 2025, that’s an average of almost 200 every day.

Young people also told our counsellors they were having suicidal thoughts and feelings and self-harming, and there was an increase in the number of counselling sessions related to children experiencing anger issues.

One girl, aged 15, told Childline: “I feel so anxious and overwhelmed. I want to talk about how I’m feeling but I don’t know how. I even panic about having these feelings, it’s so stupid.

“I worry about everything, school, not being good enough, what people think about me, and a lot of the time I know I’m worrying about nothing. I have to act as though everything is fine around everyone else; I bottle it all up then cry when I’m alone.”

This year Childline is launching a new campaign called ‘Race To A Milli’, funded by Lidl GB, which features a host of TikTok stars competing head-to-head to be the first to reach 1 million “likes” by completing challenges. What the contestants don’t know is that the tasks are a digital stress test, aimed at challenging their resilience to things including peer pressure, hateful comments, and rage bait.

Ofcom data suggests young people spend, on average, between three and six hours on their devices every day. This reflects what our counsellors hear from young people.

One boy told Childline: “I doom scroll all the time then feel so sluggish and worthless because I’m not doing anything. I know it’s making my depression worse, and I should exercise or go outside at least but I just keep scrolling.”

The new campaign highlights not only the need for device-free time but also includes a discussion between the contestants Makai Fray and Joe Leggett on how social media has impacted their mental health.

The NSPCC hopes that ‘Race To A Milli’ will help spark honest conversations about digital resilience and the importance of taking breaks from the online world when it becomes too much.

When you’re spending hours online every day and being exposed to comparison, negativity, and pressure to present a perfect version of yourself, it takes its toll. It’s vital that children and young people understand that help is available.

If you know a young person who might be struggling with their mental health, especially when going online, there are things you can suggest too.

Encourage them to take regular breaks, and while they are online, to focus on how that activity makes them feel. If they notice themselves feeling anxious or stuck in a doom-scrolling cycle, just ten or 15 minutes offline can help reset their mood.

Remind them that they don’t have to bottle things up. Talking about how they are feeling – whether to a family member, teacher or Childline counsellor – can help them feel better.

Suggest they curate their online space, unfollowing accounts that make them feel negative and seek out positive or helpful content. Remind them the algorithm is trained by what they are viewing, so if they take control of their search and focus on positive material, they’re likely to be presented with more of the same.

Encourage them to take breaks too and do something they enjoy. That might be a walk, exercise, listening to music or drawing, anything that lifts their mood and helps them recharge. 

But most importantly, remind them that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness, and that help is available whenever they need it.

Whatever their worry, they can speak to one of our trained Childline counsellors by phone, text, or online chat. Childline is always here to provide free and confidential advice to young people around the clock.

Search ‘Childline Race To A Milli’ online for more information.