{"id":453406,"date":"2026-05-31T01:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T01:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/453406\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T01:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T01:07:09","slug":"teen-mental-health-crisis-youthline-and-schools-warn-of-rising-distress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/453406\/","title":{"rendered":"Teen mental health crisis: Youthline and schools warn of rising distress"},"content":{"rendered":"

What has our teens in such a bad way? Youthline says their calls are varied, but themes of anxiety, depression, distress, loneliness, self-harm, suicidality, identity struggles, family conflict, school and university pressure, social disconnection and the impact of the digital world are common. \u201cThose experiences are also shaped by things like cost-of-living pressures, housing insecurity, lack of job opportunities, racism, and unequal access to support,\u201d Hosking-Clement says.<\/p>\n

A system under pressure<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve tried to access support for a young person recently, you\u2019ll know services are stretched. \u201cI have definitely seen an increase in mental health issues amongst teenagers,\u201d says Leesa Minton-Skirrow from Massey High School in Auckland, who has been a counsellor for 30 years. \u201cThere is an increased demand in referrals from teens from school and external sources. I see it working both part-time at school, and for other organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SGC (School Guidance Counsellors) Advisory Group \u2013 part of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors \u2013 has a broad overview of the situation nationwide. Spokesperson Carla King says: \u201cWe are seeing high levels of performance anxiety \u2013 both school and social, and a comparison culture driven by social media, plus things like body issues, and bullying.\u201d She says counsellors across the country are also seeing many teens having difficulty sitting with uncomfortable feelings, with an increased tendency to numb discomfort immediately. \u201cSometimes it looks like the school system is not \u2018fit\u2019 for today\u2019s children and teens, and we are definitely seeing a growing trend of school avoidance as a coping mechanism,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The \u2018why\u2019 behind the rise<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a complex situation, with changing external factors making it even more so. \u201cThe impacts of Covid and natural disasters continue on our young people \u2013 and on families who sometimes have multiple stresses,\u201d says Sarah Lineham, also from SGC AG. \u201cThere are families where both parents are working and still find it hard to make ends meet.\u201d She says young people are naturally \u201cego-centric\u201d and often believe they are at fault for things that are not, especially if things are not good at home.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s possibly another factor behind these rising numbers. Ten years ago, there was more stigma around admitting you weren\u2019t coping or mentioning mental health, while this generation is far more open. \u201cI think the normalisation of mental health and wellbeing has given space and the language for young people to voice what is going on for them, more so now than ever before,\u201d Lineham says.<\/p>\n

The technology factor<\/p>\n

Looking at what has changed in recent years, it\u2019s hard to ignore technology\u2019s role. While their parents were out riding bikes or hanging out at the mall at the same age, today\u2019s teenagers carry small computers in their pockets, reducing the need to go anywhere. That shift intensified during the pandemic, when they couldn\u2019t socialise in person. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we are definitely seeing a lot of what could be called phone addiction,\u201d Minton-Skirrow says. \u201cAnd that instant gratification they get can cause focus and concentration issues over time. That constant overstimulation of external stimuli from their smartphones can lead to a lack of grounding \u2013 and a lack of time spent reflecting and just being with themselves. This can all lead to heightened anxiety.\u201d <\/p>\n

And of course, there\u2019s social media. \u201cThat focus on unrealistic, perfect looks can be so damaging, as can those inappropriate behaviours towards others that are often deemed funny \u2013 or done to evoke reactions and get likes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean Lyons, chief online safety officer at Netsafe, says that while technology and social media can contribute, it\u2019s important not to lay all the blame there. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel 100% comfortable saying that the linkage is obvious. There\u2019s a lot going on societally that has found us in this position. After that period in history [the pandemic], we all celebrated how school could continue, and technology could allow our young people\u2019s education not to disappear into a black hole. High street banks still managed to operate, and some businesses realised they no longer needed storefronts to keep trading. Society has changed as a result \u2013 there are different expectations of how we interact. There\u2019s a lot of time spent interacting with technology \u2013 and that\u2019s all of us, not just young people. We have changed, a lot of things have changed, and as an organisation we also hear a lot about young people who maintain connection and community where they wouldn\u2019t have been able to \u2013 it can be mental health enhancing as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PhotoPhoto \/ 123RF<\/p>\n

While Lyons doesn\u2019t want to link full cause and effect to technology use, he says families know when use has become problematic or excessive, and suggests that if parents want to address it, it should be a discussion rather than a set of rules. \u201cIt\u2019s often more successful when it\u2019s family-related guidance rather than hard and fast rules, and when parents are willing to reflect on their own usage and what their teens might be observing of them as well. There will be young people out there looking at their parents and thinking, \u2018that\u2019s problematic use\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says it can help when parents understand how time on devices is spent based on real information \u2013 how much is social media, school research, YouTube, or learning a new skill. He suggested journaling or diarising for a few days if kids are prepared to be honest, and says it\u2019s even better if parents do it alongside them to reflect on their own use. \u201cAnd if you\u2019re having those screen time discussions, it\u2019s also important to talk to them about what they would do if suddenly they were challenged in a way online that made them feel scared. Questions like: What would you do? Who would you talk to? What would you do if your friends were in that position? Have any of them been in that position? This can be the difference between them coming to you or not when something dangerous or inappropriate has happened in their digital space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts offer practical advice<\/p>\n

All the school counsellors we spoke to had great advice. Clare Hubbard, head of guidance and wellbeing at Kait\u0101ia College, says: \u201cStay connected and present with your young people and be available however you can. Being at sports, dropping off at a part-time job, cooking together, eating together.\u201d She also stressed the importance of knowing who they are hanging out with \u2013 the families, the kids, the parents. \u201cThese people will notice any dramatic changes in behaviour, and will help form that circle of support if things go wrong. Friends are often the ones they go to first. And make sure they have those key relationships in place if you can \u2013 the favourite uncle or cousin or family friend \u2013 sometimes it can\u2019t be you, but if they have other trusted people they can talk to that can be really helpful in times of crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other helpful advice from our experts included: <\/p>\n

Remember, being fine all the time isn\u2019t the goal. Being able to get through the ups and downs and the stressors together is.Look at what you\u2019re modelling – with screen time, with anger, with how you cope with stress, with apologising when you make a mistake. Engage in your own therapy if you have things to work through.Be interested in their world – know the platforms they use, the humour they share, the pressures they navigate. Not as surveillance, but as genuine interest. It positions you as an ally rather than an external authority, making them more likely to confide if things have gone wrong.If you suspect something is not right, check in with their friends, involve a school counsellor or a family doctor. The earlier you can get help, the better. If they open up to you, listen without reacting or trying to solve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What has our teens in such a bad way? Youthline says their calls are varied, but themes of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[2246,95,38864,75824,130835,9451,537,4190,30548,6259,41141,17438,75797,79166,156,22397,4522,230623,68592,93427,305,134,10426,15415,27705,3643,12027,7494,670,13840,5829,1885,554,555,5978,19475,3244,111,139,69,1118,37410,801,6649,27702,100,1305,43395,31788,5163,47066,131,1361,165,4504,8229,210,19636,61890,10510,4524,26697,1955,686,11665,59345,1959,230622,4139],"class_list":["post-453406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-2246","tag-and","tag-answers","tag-britannica","tag-burgers","tag-chicken","tag-crisis","tag-demand","tag-distress","tag-door","tag-dusty","tag-easy","tag-encyclopaedia","tag-endless","tag-entertainment","tag-favourite","tag-feel","tag-fingertips","tag-fried","tag-guitar","tag-have","tag-health","tag-homework","tag-information","tag-instead","tag-korean","tag-learn","tag-less","tag-library","tag-like","tag-many","tag-mental","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-might","tag-minutes","tag-neighbours","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-rather","tag-rising","tag-schools","tag-seem","tag-shelves","tag-show","tag-smash","tag-stream","tag-teen","tag-teenagers","tag-than","tag-that","tag-their","tag-theres","tag-they","tag-through","tag-trawling","tag-tutorial","tag-waiting","tag-want","tag-warn","tag-ways","tag-week","tag-whatever","tag-whenever","tag-your","tag-youthline","tag-youtube"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}