Requests for help to the SOS Child and Youth Line have been increasing significantly, with emphasis on cases of suicidal ideation and self-harm behaviors, which have doubled since last year. According to the Child Support Institute (IAC), between January and October 2025, the service has already registered 95 requests related to these situations, compared to the 47 recorded in the entire year 2024.
The helpline received 333 contacts this month of October, almost double the number registered in January (175).
The deputy coordinator of SOS Criança, Maria João Cosme, explains that young people are increasingly seeking help through WhatsApp, where they feel more comfortable sharing what they feel. “We have more teenagers talking about depression, isolation and suicidal thoughts”, he stated, adding that the pandemic and the excessive use of screens have worsened the emotional suffering of many.
If phone calls and emails are more used by family members and other adults who want to report risk situations, WhatsApp is the preferred choice for young people, who feel more comfortable “writing than talking about their problems”explained Maria João Cosme, cited by the Lusa agency.
It is precisely on WhatsApp that there is a greater increase in demand for support from the SOS Child Line: if in the first two months of this year the line received an average of 25 contacts, in the last two months it has always reached a hundred, according to IAC data released this Thursday (31).
In total, the Line has already received 2,522 contacts this year, exceeding the 2,450 for the entire year 2024confirming the trend of successive increases in demand for support – in 2020, the year in which the covid-19 pandemic emerged, the Line recorded 2,268 contacts.
According to Maria João Cosme, Violence and mistreatment were the most discussed problems until 2020, but after the pandemic mental health gained prominence.
Although the increase may also reflect greater publicity of the service, experts warn of a worrying trend. Psychologist Tânia Gaspar and child psychiatrist Neide Urbano have also been denouncing the growth in self-injurious behavior among adolescents, some as young as 15 years old, who increasingly resort to hospital emergencies.
The Child Support Institute argues that the mental health of children and young people should be treated as a priority in public policies and in schools, with resources capable of identifying signs of suffering early. The SOS Child and Youth Line (116 111) remains available 24 hours a day, offering psychological, social and legal support to minors in vulnerable situations.
National Suicide Prevention Line – 1411
SOS Friendly Voice 213 544 545, 912 802 669, 963 524 660
Conversa Amiga 808 237 327, 210 027 159
SOS Student 915 246 060, 969 554 545 or 239 484 020.