Kids Helpline reports 5,190 crisis interventions in 2025

Kids Helpline recorded 128,998 contacts from young Australians in 2025, an average of 353 per day. Of those, 5,190 were classified as crisis interventions, requiring counsellors to contact emergency services or child protection authorities. The 2025 total is the second-highest in the past decade and three times the 2018 low of 1,730. It remains below the 2021 peak of 5,829 interventions.

Contact methods and demographics For the first time, webchat accounted for 50 per cent of contacts while telephone calls made up 49 per cent. Most contacts came from people aged 10 to 18 (73 per cent) and from those identifying as female (73 per cent).

Seventy-six per cent of contacts originated in major cities. Seventy-one per cent of contacts occurred outside business hours. Contacts from outer regional and remote areas showed higher rates of reported suicidal thoughts (29 per cent) than those from major cities (21 per cent).

Reasons for contact and specific groups Emotional wellbeing accounted for 27 per cent of contacts, mental health concerns 22 per cent, and family relationship issues 17 per cent. Suicide-related concerns represented 16 per cent. First Nations young people made up 9 per cent of contacts, more than double their share of the population.

One in three reported suicidal thoughts. Transgender and gender-diverse young people comprised 6 per cent of contacts, with 26 per cent reporting suicidal thoughts. Counselling for sextortion and image-based abuse rose 67 per cent between 2020 and 2025.

Boys and young men accounted for 63 per cent of those cases.

Funding and access Only 58 per cent of attempted contacts reached a counsellor.