More young Australians are reaching crisis point before seeking help, with Kids Helpline forced to contact police or child protection authorities an average of 14 times a day.
The service’s latest Impact Report found counsellors carried out 5,190 crisis interventions in 2025 – a 350 per cent increase since 2018.
Kids Helpline warned stigma and fear of being judged were driving many young people to delay seeking support until their situation had escalated to a crisis.
Here are the key findings.
Kids Helpline
Kids Helpline launched in 1991 and is Australia’s only free 24/7 counselling service for young people aged five to 25.
Young people can seek support by phone, webchat or online messaging.
Over the past 35 years, the service has responded to more than nine million contacts from children and young people across Australia.
Kids Helpline is operated by youth services organisation yourtown.
Report
Kids Helpline says it was forced to intervene in more than 5,000 cases involving children and young people at immediate risk of harm last year.
Its latest report found the service responded to 128,998 enquiries in 2025, an average of 353 a day.
Counsellors also carried out 5,190 duty of care interventions, a 350% increase since 2018.
More than one-third of interventions (36%) involved suicide attempts, while child abuse accounted for another 34%.
Top five reasons for calls to Kids Helpline in 2025:
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For the first time in its 35-year history, Kids Helpline’s webchat service overtook phone calls as the preferred way young people sought support.
Last year, half of all contacts came through webchat, with conversations lasting 13 minutes longer on average than phone calls.
The report also found 86,017 contacts occurred outside business hours, with most support sought at night or on weekends.
“Behind every crisis intervention is a young person in significant distress. We want young people to know they don’t have to wait until they are in crisis to ask for help.” – yourtown CEO Tracy Adams.
By states
Queensland recorded the highest number of suicide attempts in 2025, with 567 cases (representing about 30% of the national total).
Along with the ACT, Queensland also recorded the highest proportion of suicide-related crisis interventions, at 42%.
Meanwhile, NSW recorded the highest number of contacts, with counsellors responding to 41,170 enquiries last year alone.
What’s next
yourtown services, including Kids Helpline, are 50% self-funded through several initiatives and the remainder government-funded.
In response to the findings, Kids Helpline is calling for increased government funding and investment in early-intervention programs.
Adams said the organisation needed additional resources to meet growing demand, arguing the report data “speaks for itself”.
“To ensure we can continue to provide this critical service, we need essential funding,” she said.
Kids Helpline
1800 55 1800
Lifeline
13 11 14
