Kids Help Phone (KHP), is reporting a nearly 200 per cent uptick in texts for help at night compared to daytime hours. Rebecca Shields, the non-profit’s CEO told CTV Your Morning on Thursday, that demand for her organization’s services was up across the board with a variety of contributing factors. The service was founded in 1989 and offers confidential counselling and support for callers, children and young adults alike. “Stress and anxiety this year has been more than every other year…” Shields said, before listing the climate crisis, international issues, artificial intelligence and inflation as major stress factors. She added that traditional issues like relationships, work, family and friends are still bothering KHP clients. The team says there has been a 24 per cent increase in overnight texts compared to 2025, with a texting demand up 183 per cent between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. E.T. compared to daytime. “Then we have that sense of depression, hopelessness and that’s really scary because (the fourth major stress factor) is suicide and suicide ideation and that’s increasing, so we’re very concerned at Kids Help Phone.” Shields says that since the calls are anonymous, her staff can’t verify ages and will generally help anyone who calls. She reports 78 per cent of callers telling KHP things they’ve never told anyone else. The non-profit CEO says her team has more than 1,500 crisis volunteers, along with a dedicated staff to make sure that there’s always help on the other end of the line. “(If) they don’t have somebody, what does that do? In their trust for the system will they even come back? (Will it) exacerbate things?” she said. “We’re in a huge moment right now to try and hire more staff coast-to-coast to ensure that we can cover those really late night hours to try and make sure that every time a young person reaches out, they know that there’s a caring adult – trained, evidence-based – at the end of that device.” Back to school brings more demand With September approaching and students getting ready to return to the classroom, Shields says that KHP is expecting a 10 per cent increase in demand for their services. A new school year can be a challenging time for young people, she says, as social structures are rejigged and relationships are reestablished or built from the ground up. “New classes, new schools for those that are going into college and university or maybe even leaving college and university,” Shields said. “New expectations come upon us and that feeling – if you’re already anxious, if you’re already hopeless, if you’re already worried about your friends – that can be a time when kids just feel really isolated and alone and that’s why they need somebody.”
