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\nPhoto: Public Health Summer School – Otago University\n<\/p>\n
Youthline says it is undertaking an average of three emergency interventions a day, up from one a week five years ago.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the helpline released a new report<\/a> that found young people are facing a perfect storm of mental health distress, rising living costs and digital pressures.<\/p>\n The State of the Generation report interviewed 1041 young people from across Aotearoa aged 12-24.<\/p>\n Chief executive Shae Ronald told Nine to Noon it ensured diversity was represented in the survey – wanting to “deep dive” into under-served communities.<\/p>\n Ronald said Youthline wanted to find out the challenges diverse groups – such as the rainbow community and neurodiverse communities – were facing and how they could be supported.<\/p>\n The report’s findings were in line with what the helpline was hearing from callers, she said.<\/p>\n While mental health remained the top concern for nearly 60 percent of respondents, many felt the system was failing them due to long wait times, high costs, and a significant lack of awareness regarding available support services.<\/p>\n \nYouthline chief executive Shae Ronald. A concerning factor, Ronald said, was that 40 percent of respondents didn’t know that mental health services were available to them at any time of day.<\/p>\n A public campaign may be needed to ensure youth know they didn’t have to go through hard times alone, she said.<\/p>\n Financial anxiety was a major driver of stress, with nearly half of younger teens worried about their parents’ finances and older youth struggling with a difficult job market and cost of living pressure.<\/p>\n Ronald said Youthline was seeing increasingly complex cases, with emergency interventions jumping from one a week to more than 20 in just five years.<\/p>\n Callers were also getting younger – with 10 percent of all calls now coming from children under the age of 12<\/a>, she said.<\/p>\n Improving the situation for young people in New Zealand had to be done with their input, Ronald said.<\/p>\n When it came to young people using social media, Ronald said a “nuanced approach” was needed and platforms needed to ensure being online was safe for them.<\/p>\n This included enabling safety features and removing harmful content proactively.<\/p>\n Any approach in improving social media for young people needed their input to ensure solutions were meaningful.<\/p>\n This went for any approach to improving the “youth mental health crisis”, Ronald said.<\/p>\n Systems needed to be co-designed with youth, early intervention was needed, and programmes should be developed for schools.<\/p>\n Ronald didn’t believe that there was no money to fix the issues in the system.<\/p>\n “We will pay as a society if we take that approach.”<\/p>\n She said she had hope that Aotearoa would pay attention to what young people were saying and work together to strengthen and develop a system that works better for them.<\/p>\n Where to get help:<\/p>\n Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason<\/p>\n Lifeline<\/a>: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357 Depression Helpline<\/a>: 0800 111 757 or text 4202<\/p>\n Samaritans<\/a>: 0800 726 666<\/p>\n Youthline<\/a>: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz<\/p>\n What’s Up<\/a>: 0800 WHATSUP \/ 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds<\/p>\n Asian Family Services<\/a>: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, and English.<\/p>\n Rural Support Trust Helpline<\/a>: 0800 787 254 Rainbow Youth<\/a>: (09) 376 4155<\/p>\n OUTLine<\/a>: 0800 688 5463<\/p>\n![\"Shae](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4L31IE4_Shae_pic_JPG.jpeg\")
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\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
\nSuicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 \/ 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends<\/p>\n
\nHealthline: 0800 611 116<\/p>\n