Toronto youth texting for mental health help overnight, up 19 percent in six months

More Toronto youth are texting for mental health help between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., according to numbers from Kids Help Phone, a national 24/7 support service. The helpline recorded 9,766 overnight texting conversations in Toronto between January 1 and June 30 this year — up from 8,195 during the same period in 2025, a 19 percent increase.

Across Canada, overnight conversations climbed 24 percent in the first half of 2026 compared to the same time last year. Kids Help Phone receives a text asking for help every 90 seconds, said Rebecca Shields, the organization's president and CEO. "This is our canary in the coal mine wake-up call to let people know about what's happening to young people in Canada," Shields told Metro Morning Wednesday. "Kids are struggling, they're concerned, they're worried, they're feeling hopeless."

The most common topics young people raise — stress and anxiety, relationship problems, and depression — reflect broader pressures facing the generation. Donna Czosnek, who has volunteered with Kids Help Phone since 2019, said overnight conversations often centre on self-worth and self-loathing. "I do think that toxic social media does fuel a lot of this sort of perfectionism," she said. "Unrealistic expectations that lead the young people to think that, you know, they're less than worthy."

Shields pointed to geopolitical and economic uncertainty, including employment prospects and climate change, as stressors youth face. Mental health illness rates are climbing year-over-year and affecting younger people than before, she added. Because text feels safer than voice — especially for difficult topics — youth can reach out in a way that works for them. Shields recalled a recent case: "Just the other day we had a young man text, and he had found out that someone was threatening to sexually exploit him online. This was not something he could say out loud, but he could say through text."