With back to school season ahead, and an anticipated surge of calls to follow, Kids Help Phone is launching what they call an urgent appeal due to a record setting surge in overnight demand for youth mental health support across Canada.
According to the youth mental health advocacy group, they’ve experienced a 24% increase in the number of text messages received from young people in the overnight hours compared to the year prior. Between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. ET, texting demand is 183% higher than during daytime hours. And with a new school year just weeks away, they expect that demand for help to rise.
“Many young people are reaching out to us during the quietest hours of the night, when support can feel hardest to find,” said Rebecca Shields, President and Chief Executive Officer at KHP. “While the increased demand is deeply concerning, it also tells us something hopeful about the state of youth mental health as young people are finding the courage to Feel Out Loud and tell us what they need. We must listen, respond, and continue building a future where no young person faces a crisis alone. KHP is taking action to hire additional frontline clinical roles and this heightened demand should be a call to action for us all.”
Kids Help Phone said this rise follows a disturbing pattern from the year prior. In 2025, there was a 10% increase in year-over-year texting demand during the back-to- school season from August 24 to September 14.
They added every province and territory has seen an increase in overnight calls for help. Manitoba saw a 30 percent increase in such calls.
“Demand for texting support overnight is now more than two and a half times what KHP receives during the day. The scale of demand is impossible to ignore and deserves a response worthy of the trust young people place in KHP,” said Aaron Sanderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of KHP Foundation. “Young people are reaching out, and we need Canada to stand with them now. Every dollar raised will help strengthen overnight clinical capacity and expand French- language support. Thanks to the generosity of the J&W Murphy Foundation, every donation will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $250,000, giving people across Canada the opportunity to double their impact at a moment when support is needed most.”
