Young people suffering distress can talk to someone, day or night (file image). Photo: 123rf
Youthline have announced they will be making their helpline available 24/7.
Previously, the non-profit organisation's helpline - which supported 15,000 Aotearoa youth last year - had been limited overnight to those in crisis.
Youthline CEO Shae Ronald told The Pre-Panel that the new service was "absolutely incredible - this is huge for us".
Young people could now contact the helpline over any issue - "big or small".
The organisation had to fundraise $1.4 million a year to keep the helpline running, and ASB will now fund the overnight service.
In a statement, ASB executive general manager Lohit Kalburgi said the the full overnight service was a shared ambition from the outset of the bank's partnership with Youthline.
"We're thrilled to see it come to fruition. As well as funding the service, passionate ASB members have also helped to get it up and running by volunteering as project managers."
Ronald said even before the fully funded service was officially launched, the overnight service had supported more than 400 youth in the past two months.
Of those, 20 percent were "experiencing suicide risk; 10 percent self-harm risk and 5 percent were at risk of abuse".
The service had already made a significant impact, Ronald said.
Youthline's State of the Generation report, by Kantar Public, found that 75 percent of those surveyed said mental health was the biggest issue facing their generation.
Since 2012, there had been a doubling in mental distress rates in young people across the world and in Aotearoa, Ronald said.
"We've seen the impact of social media, concerns about the climate, weather uncertainties, economic pressures, Covid-19 - all of that is taking a toll on the young people we are supporting.
"We're seeing a lot of harder things for young people these days than many previous generations had to deal with, and that's definitely impacting on mental health and wellbeing."
Research showed night time was typically harder for rangatahi, she said.
"Often there is rumination, negative thinking repetitively ... it's often happening at night and is often worse for those who are already feeling anxious or low. We know young people can struggle to disengage from social media and that has an impact.
"A lot of young people will contact us for one issue and if they had a good experience, contact us again with other issues.
Youthline also provides support for adults who are supporting young people, with "parents, aunties, teachers and social workers calling us as well", she said.
To get in touch with Youthline's free, confidential, 24/7 service:
- Call 0800 37 66 33
- Text 234
- Chat via Webchat
- Email talk@youthline.co.nz
