{"id":436408,"date":"2026-01-29T07:10:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T07:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/436408\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T07:10:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T07:10:27","slug":"inside-the-teen-run-hotline-meeting-americas-mental-health-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/436408\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Teen-Run Hotline Meeting America\u2019s Mental Health Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

On weekday evenings between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. PST, the small, softly lit Teen Line<\/a> office in Century City, CA, begins to buzz. A handful of high schoolers \u2014 many still in their school sweatshirts \u2014 settle into cubicles, put on headsets and begin answering calls, texts and emails from other teenagers who need someone to talk to. For more than four decades, Teen Line has been demonstrating the power of a simple but radical idea: That sometimes the best person to talk to about teenage problems is another teenager.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1980 as the Center for the Study of Young People in Groups, the grassroots nonprofit evolved into a vital resource for young people struggling with stress, loneliness, relationships and mental health challenges. Today, it operates as part of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, home to the nation\u2019s first and largest Suicide Prevention Center, which served more than 232,000 individuals in 2024. Teen Line still runs on the same core model: Trained teens supporting peers through nonjudgmental listening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing I say to almost every caller is that it\u2019s okay not to be okay,\u201d says Sanaya, a soft-spoken volunteer who joined in fall 2024 and prefers to only give her first name. \u201cThere\u2019s such a culture, especially among teenagers, to just say, \u2018I\u2019m fine.\u2019 But by reassuring them that it\u2019s really okay to talk about what\u2019s going on, people start to open up. Then we can have a much deeper conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teen Line\u2019s mission feels more critical than ever. Approximately 40 percent<\/a> of U.S. high-school students report persistent sadness or hopelessness, and suicide remains the second leading cause of death<\/a> for youth ages 10 to 24, according to the CDC. Teen Line fills a widening gap in the nation\u2019s fraying youth mental health system \u2014 with no federal funding, only grants, donations and the dedication of 100 teen volunteers who log more than 10,000 contacts a year from youth around the world. \u201cWe even once got a call from a teen in Zimbabwe who found us online,\u201d says Cheryl Karp Eskin, the organization\u2019s senior director.<\/p>\n

\"AApproximately 100 teen volunteers log more than 10,000 contacts a year from youth around the world. Photo courtesy of Teen Line<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, major funding streams for school-based mental health support have been cut. The U.S. Department of Education recently ended roughly $1 billion in grants<\/a> originally designated to help schools hire additional counselors and psychologists under the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed after a wave of school shootings. Simultaneously, the federal government has removed the dedicated \u201cPress 3\u201d option for LGBTQ+ youth on the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At a time when youth mental health needs are escalating, federal support for key programs is shrinking. That makes Teen Line\u2019s peer-to-peer model all the more essential.<\/p>\n

Volunteers like Sanaya must be at least 14 years old and complete a rigorous selection and training process before taking their first call. \u201cIt starts with a written application and then interviews,\u201d she explains. \u201cIf you get accepted, you get about three months of classroom training where you learn about the various topics you could be covering \u2014 anything from bullying to eating disorders to suicide \u2014 and how to manage those when you\u2019re on a call. We also learn active listening and ways to make people feel heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

That training includes practice calls, guest speakers from organizations like the Rape Treatment Center, and lessons in emotional regulation and crisis response. Only after completing this curriculum do volunteers begin answering emails, then texts and finally phone calls.<\/p>\n

Sanaya usually takes about one shift a week, more than the minimum commitment of two shifts a month. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely one of my favorite things to do after school,\u201d she says. \u201cI love meeting all of the people that work there. We share a lot of the same interests, and I\u2019ve made some really close friends at Teen Line.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to Eskin, about 60 to 70 percent of contacts come through online channels \u2014 text or email \u2014 and all are anonymous and confidential unless someone\u2019s safety is at risk. When the Teen Line office closes at 10 p.m., trained adult counselors at Didi Hirsch pick up the phones as part of their shift on the national 988 Lifeline hotline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not anti-adult,\u201d Eskin says with a laugh. \u201cBut often the adults in teens\u2019 lives are the ones grading them or disciplining them. That power dynamic changes everything. When you\u2019re talking to another teen, it just feels simpler \u2014 and safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eskin would know. She was once a Teen Line volunteer herself in high school and has been involved for more than 15 years. Over that time, she\u2019s seen social media, smartphones and the pandemic reshape what it means to be a teenager and how vital empathy has become.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a teen today is a lot,\u201d she says. \u201cThe pressures of school, social media and just being constantly connected, it\u2019s no wonder anxiety and stress are among our top issues, along with relationships, depression and suicide. But what\u2019s hopeful is that teens want to help each other. And when they do, it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Teen Line\u2019s impact data show that 98 percent of callers report finding their interaction helpful, and many reach out again or recommend the line to friends. Some even write back months later to say the call \u201csaved their life.<\/p>\n

For Sanaya, the experience of listening has been transformative. \u201cI joined at the beginning of my sophomore year because I wanted to make an impact in my community,\u201d she says. \u201cA friend had used Teen Line and found support, and I wanted to be that person for someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly a year later, she notices the skills carry over into her own life. \u201cWe practice active listening all the time, and those skills are so useful \u2014 helping a friend who\u2019s stressed, or even just staying calm in a tough situation. It\u2019s changed how I deal with stress or emotions. I feel more logical, more grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AThe Department of Education recently ended roughly $1 billion in grants originally designated to help schools hire additional counselors and psychologists. Photo courtesy of Teen Line<\/p>\n

Calls vary in length \u2014 sometimes ten minutes, sometimes over an hour. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s just them ranting and me listening; other times it\u2019s more of a conversation,\u201d Sanaya says.<\/p>\n

Lately, the most common topic she hears is school stress. Relationship issues \u2014 romantic, family, or friendship \u2014 are a close second.<\/p>\n

When conversations reveal deeper issues like abuse, eating disorders, or suicidal thoughts, Teen Line volunteers are trained to connect callers with professional resources such as the National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN) or local crisis centers. \u201cThere\u2019s not always a lot you can do in one call,\u201d Sanaya says, \u201cbut if you can make even a small impact, and give them resources to get help, that\u2019s the best thing you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peer-to-peer listening isn\u2019t new, but research increasingly underpins its effectiveness. A 2023 systematic review<\/a> in The British Journal of Psychiatry found that structured peer support significantly reduced depressive symptoms and increased help-seeking among teens. For many young people, peers are the first \u2014 and sometimes only \u2014 people they trust to confide in.<\/p>\n

Eskin believes that\u2019s where Teen Line\u2019s true power lies. \u201cWe like to say no problem is too big or too small,\u201d she says. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be in a life-or-death crisis to reach out. Sometimes starting the conversation is what gets someone to the help they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also quick to dispel doubts about whether teenagers can handle the emotional weight of this work. \u201cA lot of people question whether teens can do this,\u201d Eskin says. \u201cBut I\u2019ve seen it for decades \u2014 they can, and sometimes they do it better than adults. With proper screening and training, teens have this incredible capacity for empathy. They meet each other where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

That empathy has ripple effects. Over the years, Teen Line has trained more than 2,000 high school students, many of whom have gone on to careers in counseling, social work and advocacy. Eskin herself is one of them. \u201cI don\u2019t know if Teen Line made me a therapist or if I was always going to be one,\u201d she says, smiling. \u201cBut it absolutely shaped how I see the world and how I talk about things like suicide. It\u2019s not scary to me anymore. It\u2019s something we can, and should, talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n

For callers, Teen Line can be a lifeline. For volunteers, it can be life-changing. But its broader impact might be cultural: It normalizes talking about mental health in a culture that often discourages it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media can make it look like everyone else is living their best life,\u201d says Sanaya. \u201cIt can feel really isolating to someone who\u2019s struggling. I think it\u2019s important to remind people that what they see online isn\u2019t the full truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Teen Line amplifies that message in school presentations, outreach campaigns and social media. \u201cWe\u2019ve had teens tell us they found us because ChatGPT suggested it,\u201d Eskin admits with a laugh. \u201cAI can be scary, but if it\u2019s helping people find human connection, that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

As evening falls in Century City, the phones keep ringing. On the other end might be a teen crying quietly about a breakup, someone afraid to tell their parents about depression, or a student overwhelmed by exams.<\/p>\n

Sanaya doesn\u2019t always have the perfect words, but she\u2019s learned that sometimes that\u2019s not what matters most. \u201cThe best thing I can do is just listen and let them know their feelings are valid,\u201d she says. \u201cSometimes you don\u2019t have the exact right thing to say, but by just being there, that\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a culture that often tells young people to toughen up, Teen Line\u2019s volunteers are proving the opposite: Gentleness, empathy and listening can save lives. \u201cThe power of someone believing you, validating you and really listening, that\u2019s huge,\u201d Eskins says. \u201cThat\u2019s where healing begins.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know needs help, and you are in the U.S., call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On weekday evenings between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. PST, the small, softly lit Teen Line office in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[2763,97,259,260,14488,16619],"class_list":["post-436408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-anxiety","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-students","tag-teenagers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}