Child suicide risks at record high
How “sextortion” of Australian teenagers by online criminals is raising the rate of suicide attempts.
Suicide attempts by children as young as 10 forced Kids Helpline counsellors to call ambulances 1713 times last year, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children most at risk.
The hotline fielded nearly 12,000 calls from children discussing suicide last year, in a post-pandemic mental health meltdown exacerbated by the “sextortion’’ of teenagers online.
The 10 to 14-year-old age group had the highest rate for reporting self-injury or self-harm, based on data to be released on Monday.
“Kids Helpline counsellors undertook 3893 crisis/safety interventions nationally, seeking the assistance of ambulance, police, child protection or other services to respond to an urgent event for a young person,’’ the latest Kids Helpline Impact Report reveals.
“Of these, 44 per cent were related to suicide attempts or instances where the young person was assessed as being at high risk of taking their own life.
“The number of crisis/safety interventions … in relation to suicide attempts by children and young people have more than doubled over five years, from 824 in 2019 to 1706 in 2023.’’
Yourtown chief executive Tracy Adams revealed a “burgeoning number of sextortion contacts’’ from distraught teenage boys.
“More and more young people, particularly boys, are reaching out to Kids Helpline after experiencing extortion relating to sexually explicit shared images,’’ she wrote in the report.
“There are serious safety and wellbeing concerns for children who are being caught up in sextortion, with suicide and self-harm risks.’’
Ms Adams said Kids Helpline was now responding to a sextortion case every day, compared to five a month in 2021. She urged families to talk to children about sextortion, which the Australian Federal Police has attributed to Nigerian criminals targeting teenage boys by impersonating girls and asking for naked photos.
“Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where offenders trick or coerce someone into sending sexual images of themselves, before threatening to share the images unless their demands are met, usually for financial payment, more graphic content, or sexual favours,’’ Ms Adams says in the report. “Young people need to know it’s not their fault, it’s OK to seek help, and how to reach out for support.’’
Kids Helpline responded to calls from a record 122,356 distressed children last year, with 71 per cent of calls from girls and young women.
The Yourtown charity’s 144 child and youth counsellors provided 70,618 counselling sessions during the year, with most calls made on nights and weekends.
The number of crisis interventions requiring an ambulance, police or child safety officers soared to 3893 last year.
Domestic violence and sexual abuse triggered more than 1000 interventions.
“Child abuse and family violence remain significant issues among children and young people contacting Kids Helpline,’’ the report states.
“In 2023, we had 4792 counselling contacts where young people reached out to us concerned about abuse or family violence, with a 70 per cent increase in the number of safety/crisis interventions undertaken since 2019.’’
Counsellors answered calls from 168 children between five and nine concerning child abuse or domestic violence, and 2173 calls from children aged 10 to 14.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were twice as likely to call in a suicidal state, with a 161 per cent increase in the number of calls since 2019.
The number of children identifying as trans or gender diverse more than tripled over the past four years to 7796.
Kids Helpline receives half its funding from governments, and needs public donation for the rest.
• Need help? Kids Helpline free call 1800 55 1800 or go to www.kidshelpline.com.au.
• Lifeline call 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au.
• Contact police to report sextortion
More Coverage
Western Victorian communities under threat as bushfires rage
Evacuation warnings have been issued as firefighters battle fast-moving blazes amid challenging conditions.
‘We will not be divided’: Kate Chaney slams anti-Semitic graffiti in her Perth electorate
Western Australian police say they ‘will not tolerate crimes that undermine our way of life’ after anti-Semitic graffiti was found in the riverside Perth suburb of Dalkeith on Sunday.