More young people are reaching out for mental health support during the overnight hours.
But according to the people behind Kids Help Phone, that’s not necessarily bad news.
Through June 30, the organization has received 24 per cent more texts between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. Atlantic time than in 2025.
That includes a 49 per cent increase in New Brunswick.
A release from the organization said texting demand is 183 per cent higher during those overnight hours than during daytime hours.
Kids Help Phone president and CEO Rebecca Shields said it shows young people are finding the courage to ask for help when dealing with mental health issues.
“Many young people are reaching out to us during the quietest hours of the night, when support can feel hardest to find,” Shields said.
She said the increased demand should be a call to action.
“We must listen, respond, and continue building a future where no young person faces a crisis alone,” Shields said.
According to Shields, Kids Help Phone is working on hiring additional frontline clinical roles.
In 2025, the organization reported a 10-per-cent increase in year-over-year texting demand during the back-to-school season, Aug. 24 to Sept. 14.
Young people want to talk to volunteer crisis responders about issues like anxiety and stress, relationship challenges and depression.
All provinces and territories saw an increase in demand for overnight support, with the highest jump in Yukon at 64 per cent.
The rest of the country shakes out like this:
- Yukon – 64 per cent
- P.E.I. – 59 per cent
- British Columbia – 49 per cent
- New Brunswick – 49 per cent
- Saskatchewan – 36 per cent
- Manitoba – 30 per cent
- Alberta – 29 per cent
- Ontario – 27 per cent
- Nova Scotia – 26 per cent
- Northwest Territories – 25 per cent
- Nunavut – 17 per cent
- Newfoundland and Labrador – 12 per cent
- Quebec – 10 per cent
Major cities have also experienced significant increases in demand.
The numbers in Vancouver are up 46 per cent as of June 30, while Toronto (19 per cent), Halifax (18 per cent) and Montreal (13 per cent) have seen rises in demand as well.
