Kids Help Phone saw a spike in messages from Maritime children and adolescents this summer, especially during the overnight hours. The free mental health service says there was a 24 per cent jump in text messages from across the country since the start of the summer compared to the same time last year. “There is no one single factor there, but we are now dealing with the most anxious generation ever raised,” says Dr. Simon Sherry, a registered psychologist based in Halifax who works with adolescents and their parents. Sherry isn’t surprised by the data from Kids Help Phone. He says the trend of increasing mental health problems among younger generations was present before the COVID-19 pandemic and has only gotten worse since. Sherry adds there isn’t one specific factor to blame. “Different parenting practices, the world we live in today,” says Sherry. “There would be social media dominating kids’ experiences for four, six or even eight hours a day. There is no one single cause, but when you start to stack these problems on top of each other, you’ve got a lot of anxiety, depression and loneliness.” While the increase in messages was noted across the country, Jenny Yuen, an executive vice-president with Kids Help Phone, says the numbers were particularly high in the Maritimes. Nova Scotia saw a 26 per cent increase in nighttime texts to Kids Help Phone, slightly higher than the national average. New Brunswick’s spike was much higher at 49 per cent and Prince Edward Island reached 59 per cent. Yuen suggests letting children know in the daytime that help is available at night. “It’s not necessarily a matter of whether they will,” she says. “It’s likely when. So that element of ensuring they are aware of these safe supports is really, really important.” Kids Help Phone is available 24/7. Sherry says that means the service is a lifeline during the most vulnerable hours. “At 2 p.m., you’ve got access to friends, family, neighbours and others,” says Sherry. “At 2 a.m., you’re often alone in your own thoughts and pain so it’s a good thing that something like Kids Help Phone is around.”
