Sharp rise in psychological distress among Quebec teens, with ban on cell phones at school partly to blame

Psychological distress among adolescents has reached unprecedented levels, according to the 2025 report by the organization Tel-jeunes. It notes a 20 per cent increase in requests for help from young people and parents, which is expected to total 60,000 requests by the end of the year.

Tel-jeunes also notes that 50 per cent of requests for help are related to mental health — including issues with anxiety, depression, self-harm, isolation, and self-esteem — a scale never before seen by the organization. In 2024, this rate was 40 per cent.

According to Annie Papageorgiou, executive director of Tel-jeunes and its foundation, the data can be explained in part by a better understanding of mental health issues and a greater openness to seeking help. But the results also reflect an increase in distress among young people.

“Mental health literacy is much more prevalent, young people understand what positive mental health is, and they are asking for help. But what we feel, what we are seeing, is that the requests are more serious, we can sense the distress among teenagers. More and more, when people contact us, there is a sense of urgency, a very strong emotion that leads them to contact us,” she explained.

Papageorgiou adds that requests are becoming increasingly complex.

“Even now, this year, one-in-five interventions requires our professionals to assess the risk of suicide,” she said. “All requests for help require much more tact, and our professional workers always ensure that the young person is listened to, validated, reassured, and made to feel safe.”

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Increase in violence at school

The ban on cell phones in schools, which came into effect this year in Quebec, was a new factor at the start of the school year, causing stress for many young people, reports Papageorgiou.

“It was one of the factors in the overall return to school. Teenagers asked, ‘How is this going to work for me?’” she said.

Young people are particularly affected by periods of transition, especially when it comes to their friendships.

“There were also requests from young people moving from high school to CEGEP, which is the unknown,” said Papageorgiou. “It’s the same thing with all periods of transition. Now we’re entering the holiday season, and we’re going back home. So we also get calls because once we’re on break, we have to go back to school. So there’s a kind of apprehension, anxiety about transitional phases, such as the holiday season.”

The organization has also noticed an increase in violence at school and a 30 per cent rise in requests for help after school hours.

“What young people tell us when they contact us, what we have observed increasing, is bullying at school,” said Papageorgiou, adding that this includes verbal, psychological, and physical violence.

“This causes a lot of anxiety for young people. School is a mandatory place for them. So being there, feeling trapped, going through difficult times like these, is one of the reasons why requests for help have increased in the last year,” continue the director.

Tel-jeunes’ goal is to meet the needs of young people, but the increase in requests is also putting pressure on the organization, in addition to the complexity of the cases.

In this context, the organization is adapting to be able to respond to the ever-increasing number of requests. For example, since 80 per cent of requests for help are made by text message or chat, this service is now available until midnight, whereas previously, written channels were unavailable after 10 p.m.

Tel-jeunes’ support resources are available from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, by phone at 1-800-263-2266 or by text message at 514-600-1002.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews