Thirteen times a day, Kids Helpline acts to protect young lives

On World Mental Health Day (10 October), Kids Helpline is shining a light on the scale of crisis support the service provides to young people across Australia. 

Every day, counsellors at the 24/7 service step in to protect children and young people in immediate danger, an average of 13 times a day.

yourtown CEO Tracy Adams said these figures are a sobering reflection on the pressures young people face and the lasting impact these experiences have on their health and wellbeing.

“Behind every number is a young person in distress,” Ms Adams said.

“Our counsellors act with compassion and urgency when young people contact in crisis and connect them with the right supports to ensure they are safe. Every one of these interventions is a reminder that having someone available to respond when a young person reaches out can save a life.”

In 2024, Kids Helpline undertook 4,632 crisis escalations to child protection and emergency services to keep young people safe, more than double the number made five years ago.

The top five reasons were:

• Suicide risk: 1,803, occurring an average of five times every day
• Child abuse: 1,389, around three times each day
• Acute mental health concerns: 444, averaging once every day
• Self-injury or self-harm: 277
• Sexual assault: 270

“Young people are showing enormous courage by reaching out when they are afraid or unsafe. This increase tells us they trust Kids Helpline to be there for them, and that continued investment in mental health services is critical,” she said.

In total, Kids Helpline responded to more than 133,000 contacts from children and young people aged 5-25 years in 2024. Thousands of these were related to mental health, suicide and self-harm:

• 20,009 contacts were about emotional wellbeing, representing one in four counselling contacts
• 17,175 were regarding mental health, around one in four
• 11,682 related to suicide concerns, or one in six
• 6,288 were about self-injury or self-harm, about one in thirteen

Ms Adams said that on World Mental Health Day, it is important to remember that equity in mental health support is critical, as is the provision of services that are accessible, ongoing, and responsive to young people's changing needs.

“Every day we see the difference that listening, care, and early intervention can make,” she said.

“Our focus is to ensure no young person feels alone when they need help the most.”

Kids Helpline continues to expand its reach through schools, community partnerships and digital innovation to ensure that young people have access to support when they need it, through the ways they want to receive it.

Fast facts

• A contact is made to Kids Helpline every 90 seconds
• In 2024, counsellors responded to 133,386 phone and webchat contacts
• More than 23,500 of these were from young people from First Nations or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds
• 75% occurred outside standard business hours
• One quarter came from regional and remote areas
• The most common age groups contacting the service were 10–14 and 15–18 years

Since 1991, Kids Helpline has responded to more than 9 million contacts from children and young people across Australia.

Kids Helpline counsellors provide free, confidential, 24/7 support to children and young people aged 5–25 on 1800 55 1800 and via webchat at kidshelpline.com.au.

Media note: Kids Helpline can provide data at a state and territory level to support local reporting. Regional or community-level breakdowns may not be available due to smaller numbers and the need to protect the privacy and confidentiality of young people who contact the service.

Media contact

For more information or to arrange a media interview, please contact Jessica Tatzenko, yourtown Media & Communications Specialist.

[email protected] OR 0423 843 786