Tag: social media ban

This World Suicide Prevention Day, Childline by ISPCC is shining a light on what children and young people are telling us about suicide, and why having somewhere safe to talk can matter so much.

Every day, children and young people across Ireland contact Childline about some of the most difficult experiences in their lives.

So far in 2026, Childline has received 877 contacts about suicide – more than three every day.

Behind every one of those contacts is a young person with their own story, worries and reasons for reaching out.

For some, the conversation may be about suicide generally, or concern for a friend or family member. But in 83% of contacts about suicide, the young person is experiencing suicidal thoughts themselves.

Around 70% of all suicide-related contacts are considered high or very high risk.

What are children telling us?

There is rarely one simple reason why a young person may experience suicidal thoughts.

Through conversations with Childline and insights from our nLight research project, we see children speaking about feeling unsupported, disbelieved or trapped.

Abuse or neglect at home can be a factor. Bullying, social isolation and difficulties in relationships also feature in conversations.

Young people express feelings such as:

“Nobody cares.”

“Nobody loves me.”

“People would be happier without me.”

We also hear from children who are worried that a friend may attempt suicide, while some young people have told Childline about being encouraged by others online to harm or kill themselves.

These conversations are a powerful reminder of the importance of taking children seriously when they tell us they are struggling.

Young people don’t always use the word ‘suicide’

Understanding the language children use online is also increasingly important.

Through ISPCC’s involvement in the nLight research project, we see examples of children using terms such as “unalive” when discussing suicide online.

Young people’s language constantly evolves, particularly in digital spaces. They may use alternative words to talk about difficult subjects, including language that can avoid automated moderation or red-flagging on digital platforms.

For parents, carers, professionals and those designing online services for children, listening to how young people communicate distress can be just as important as listening for particular words.

Sometimes a child simply needs someone to listen

The average Childline engagement with a young person contacting us about suicide lasts 45 minutes.

That is 45 minutes in which a young person has someone focused on them, listening without judgement and giving them the space to express what they are thinking and feeling.

The majority of those contacting us about suicide are low or first-time users of Childline. For some, reaching out may be one of the first times they have spoken about what they are experiencing.

Our role is to listen, support and empower children and young people, and to help them identify the support available to them.

Childline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, because we never know when a child might decide that they are ready to talk.

Help us be there when a child reaches out

No child should have to face their darkest moments alone.

Your support helps ISPCC ensure Childline can continue to be there whenever a child or young person needs someone to listen – whether that’s in the middle of the afternoon or late at night.

By donating to ISPCC, you can help us continue to listen, support and empower children and young people across Ireland.

Donate today at ISPCC.ie.

If you need support

If you are a child or young person and something is worrying you, you can talk to Childline about anything that’s on your mind.

Call Childline free on 1800 66 66 66 or use Live Chat at Childline.ie.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999.

What will be the most heartbreaking day of the summer? Last year, it was July 20 – the day that Childline received the most contacts from children and young people who were experiencing abuse, neglect and isolation during what is supposed to be the best days of their lives. 

Unfortunately, the summer of 2026 is already shaping up to be a difficult one for many children and young people. The Childline team already has experienced a noticeable spike in contacts related to suicide last week.

The longer days and the break from the routine of school life means that children face an increased risk of isolation, exposure to danger online, abuse and neglect. 

Many of these children dread the summer and count the days to go back to school. There, they can be themselves without fearing the consequences and teachers are available to give them the support that they need.

Take Eabha* who experiences food poverty, social isolation and abuse from her mother who drinks to numb her own pain and takes out her frustrations on her daughter. Eabha will spend the long, lonely summer holidays looking after her young siblings, lying to her friends to explain why she can’t meet them and doing everything she possibly can to ensure that her mother doesn’t lose her temper.

Sam* told a Childline volunteer about how his emotionally abusive family make him feel unloved and unable to express himself for fear of being taunted and bullied. He says that he hates being at home.

For Lily*, a carer for her critically ill parent, school offers a break from the constant pressure she experiences at home. She doesn’t want her friends to pity her so she shares little about what her life is really like.  

Elizabeth Donlon Fox, National Childline Listening Coordinator, says that our dedicated team of staff and volunteers hear similar stories on a daily basis: “When we think of summer, we think of endless, carefree days, but for so many children and young people, it’s a time of isolation, fear and neglect. It is truly shocking what so many young people have to endure and the lasting consequence of this trauma on their lives.”

For so many children, summer is a time of heartbreak, not happiness, but Childline is here to support them 24/7. To support Childline in this crucial work, please donate now.

ISPCC offers support to children and young people at childline.ie and at 1 800 66 66 66. 

• *Names have been changed

As yet another politician extols the merits of banning social media for those under 16 in the name of online safety, many of us working in children’s rights find ourselves dismayed by the persistence of such quick-fix, headline-grabbing proposals. These measures, while superficially appealing, shift responsibility onto parents and children, rather than addressing the role of the technology companies whose platforms underpin much of the harm. 

On Sunday, June 14th, more than 140 children’s rights organisations across Europe, including the ISPCC, co-signed an evidence-based letter to the European Commission making clear that it is neither fair nor effective to require children to bear the cost of rectifying problems that are fundamentally embedded in the design and business models of online services. 

A blanket ban risks entrenching harm by diverting attention away from where meaningful accountability should lie. Instead, we should be insisting on a strict “safety by design” standard, supported by privacy-preserving and robust age assurance mechanisms. This approach places responsibility on platforms to create safer environments from the outset. 

Efforts to improve online safety must not come at the expense of children’s rights — including their rights to information, education, participation and play. A crude age-based prohibition would not only fail to eliminate harm but would likely displace it, pushing young people towards less regulated or entirely unregulated spaces where risks may be even greater. 

Furthermore, such bans risk diminishing the urgency to address the systemic issues that drive harm online. These include behavioural profiling, addictive and manipulative design features, recommender systems that amplify harmful content and commercial practices that exploit children’s data and vulnerabilities.  

A more constructive response must recognise that responsibility is shared. Parents, platforms and young people all have a role to play.  

Many of the risks children face online stem from the design of the platform. Features that prioritise engagement over wellbeing can expose young users to manipulation, exploitation and grooming — often in ways that are difficult to detect. Children who do not recognise such harms are unlikely to report them. 

It is essential that young people learn to question what they see online, to understand how algorithms shape their experience and to trust their instincts when something feels wrong. The impact of harmful online content inevitably spills into children’s offline lives, affecting their wellbeing. 

At the ISPCC, our priority is to empower young people with the resilience and coping skills they need to thrive in an increasingly complex digital world.  

Our Childline Listening Service operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, ensuring that any young person who needs to talk will always find someone ready to listen.