Youthline CEO Shae Ronald told The Front Page the most important issue facing young people today is mental health.
Despite this, 41% of the young people surveyed were unaware of any mental health organisations where they could get help.
“Honestly, I was shocked... Super concerned, especially since we’re facing a youth mental health crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand, as we are globally.
“What we’ve seen at Youthline is that, as of last year, younger young people are reaching out for support. So, now 10% of young people under 12 are contacting us on our helpline, and as young as 8.
“We’re seeing a bit of a bubble of young people coming through who are under 12, who are definitely needing mental health support, and that’s new for us as an organisation,” she said.
While mental health is considered the most important issue overall for all ages, two-thirds of young people say phone addiction/screen time (66%) and social media (65%) are the two “most common” issues faced by young people today.
“Social media can amplify both the good and the bad... young people are both reaching out through social media for support, as well as saying that it is making them feel they have to compare themselves to others.”
AI was also a concern, with nearly one in two (49%) young people saying they were “a little worried about AI” and one in five saying they were “very worried about AI”.
“I think there are different factors that impact on a young person’s life now that previous generations have not seen,” Ronald said.
“If we think about AI and where that’s going, a lot of young people are very concerned about what that means for job prospects and what they should be training as, what their vocational opportunities are to make sure that they can engage in employment and meet the needs of their daily lives in a world that’s rapidly changing and going to keep on rapidly changing.”
Above all, young people want to feel heard, Ronald said.
“I do really think we underestimate the level of pressure that’s on young people, and what can we do to support that?
“How can family and friends help a young person understand we’ve got you, you’re great, it’s going to be okay. There are ups and downs in life. We will get through this together.
“Every young person needs someone who just backs them and believes in them, and that makes the biggest difference,” she said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:
- Generational shifts
- The youth mental health crisis
- Social media and screen time
- Next steps and taking action.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5pm. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
