Expert: Spike in demand for youth mental health support

Kids Help Phone is seeing a sharp increase in youth seeking support overnight. New data from the national helpline shows overnight text conversations rose 24 per cent during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. On average, the service receives a text every 90 seconds.

A McGill University expert is available to comment:

Srividya Iyer, Canada Research Chair in Youth, Mental Health and Learning Health Systems and Professor, Department of Psychiatry, is available to discuss factors behind the increase and practical ways to support young people before they reach a crisis point.

Iyer leads ACCESS Open Minds, a national initiative that has helped improve access to mental health care for young people across Canada.

srividya.iyer [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)