[United Kingdom] Under-11s Reporting Mental Health Problems to Childline

Childline, the UK’s child counselling service launched a new nationwide campaign - KIDS in Real Life – to urge the public to help save a child’s life ‘in real life’.

Childline began as a registered charity, but since 2006, has been part of the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Childline offers phone, e-mail and online chat services for young people to discuss mental health concerns, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, family relationships and problems at school/college. They provided 24,447 counselling sessions in 2018/2019, a 25% increase over the last three years. The startling fact about the increasing ratio of young people seeking help is that its not just teenagers, but youngsters aged 11 or under.

The Kids in Real Life campaign, #KIDS_IRL, highlights that with an online childhood it’s very easy to hide real feelings, but behind the filters and emojis, many children are suffering.

The internet also makes young people vulnerable; abuse and bullying are new kinds of threats. As childhood has changed it’s essential to protect young people online and in real life, so the Childline initiative ‘Pledge to Protect’ encourages more people to donate to help their work, and thereby support young people’s mental health.

You can find more information about Childline, including stories from volunteers and children, here or check out their campaign video.