An average of five children a day in Scotland tell the service they have considered ending their life.
An average of five children a day in Scotland contact Childline about suicidal thoughts, according to the NSPCC.
In 2018/19, Childline delivered 1,781 counselling sessions to young people in Scotland who felt a sense of despair – a 90% increase from three years ago.
Most of those who sought help from Childline were teenagers, but there has also been a sharp rise in under-11s receiving support (87% since 2015/16).
Young people contacting Childline with suicidal thoughts and feelings cited specific concerns about mental health, self-harm, family relationships and problems at school and college. Girls were more likely to talk about these feelings, with five times as many receiving counselling sessions than boys.
The statistics have been published as the NSPCC launches a new campaign, Kids in Real Life, urging the public to help the charity’s lifesaving work.
People are asked to show their support through a ‘Pledge to Protect’ and make a donation to fund vital services like Childline, which are there for children and teenagers when they have nowhere else to turn.
Esther Rantzen, Childline founder and president, said: “When we launched Childline in 1986, the majority of calls were from young people describing pain caused by someone else, this could include abuse, bullying or neglect.
“But over the last ten years we have seen a rise in the number of children describing their feelings of such intense unhappiness that they tell Childline they want to end their own lives. It is deeply disturbing that we have reached a point where, on average, 67 children a day are receiving help for suicidal thoughts and feelings.
“This new campaign highlights that many of these profoundly unhappy young people hide their feelings to those around them online, bottling up their suicidal thoughts which may become overwhelming. Worryingly, we don’t have the resources to be there for every child who needs us, which is why it is so important the public get behind #KIDS_IRL and supports the NSPCC in their mission to be there for all the young people who reach out in their darkest hour.”
