Clients of the children's helpline want to discuss mental health issues. For instance, on 30 November 2023, we recorded a 16 per cent increase compared to last year. In total, psychological problems represent more than a third of all concerns children bring to us. The topics of suicide, self-harm, depression, anxiety and other mental disorders are among the five most frequent ones. The second most frequent area is family and relationship difficulties in communication, parents' misunderstanding, fear, and concern about their reactions. Thirdly, there are personal topics, like somatic problems, loneliness, the need for verbal contact or experience with physical (violent) attacks. At the same time, all the mentioned thematic areas show a higher frequency than in 2022.  

 As these topics are content-intensive and multiple problems are often solved with child clients within one communication, more time is needed for each contact. We assume that this is why the average call length is increasing. So generally, we have more calls lasting longer than 30 minutes. To demonstrate it, in the three quarters of 2023, we recorded more calls over 30 minutes than in the whole of 2022. 

Find out more about the work of the Czech Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.