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#Chances4Children: 30,000 under-13s access mental health support over text

More than 30,000 children under the age of 13 have accessed mental health support using 24/7 texting services during the Covid-19 pandemic, new research shows.
Seven per cent of children contacted the service about bullying. Picture: Adobe Stock
Seven per cent of children contacted the service about bullying. Picture: Adobe Stock

A new report by Shout 85258, Half a Million Conversations Through a Pandemic: the Power of Text for Providing 24/7 Digital Mental Health Support, states that of more than 213,000 people of all ages across the UK using its flagship digital service, 36,559 conversations took place with texters aged 13 and under. 

A quarter of people in this age group were most likely to discuss self-harm (24 per cent) while seven per cent wanted to talk about bullying, the charity says.

The report adds that 65 per cent of texters were aged under 25 and 28 per cent are aged under 17.

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