Early Insights from Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Delay
As of December 10, 2025, Australia has implemented a mandatory minimum age of 16 for holding social media accounts, covering platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X, YouTube, and others. The law, aimed at protecting young people’s mental health, requires platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent access, with potential fines for non-compliance. As part […]
Building Stronger Child Helpline Responses to Online Harms
Reflections from a Voice Up Africa Training in Namibia
From 4–5 November 2025, we had the privilege of co-facilitating an in-person training in Windhoek, Namibia, under the Voice Up Africa project, focused on online harms and how child helplines can respond effectively. As Childline South Africa’s Online Counselling Manager for the past 13 years, this topic is deeply personal to me. The digital world […]
Understanding and Responding to Frequent Use
This guest blog comes from our Danish member Børns Vilkår, which operates the child helpline BørneTelefonen. The blog builds on insights first shared during a recent webinar organized by Child Helpline International: Supporting Frequent Callers: Lessons Learned from Børns Vilkår. At BørneTelefonen in Denmark, we’ve long been familiar with the phenomenon of frequent use, a […]
Mental Health, Violence, Relationships: Key Insights from 2023 European Child Helpline Data
As the Secretary General of the Swedish child helpline BRIS, and as the Regional Representative for Europe for Child Helpline International, I have witnessed first-hand the profound impact child helplines can have on the lives of children and young people. In 2023 alone, more than a million children and young people reached out for support […]
Child Helplines in Africa: Advocating for Stronger Child Protection Mechanisms
As Regional Representative for Africa, I represented Child Helpline International and addressed the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) during its 44th Ordinary Session in Maseru, Lesotho. We presented findings from a comprehensive data analysis of child helplines in 12 countries across East and Southern Africa, revealing alarming […]
Gender, Safety and Help-Seeking Behaviours in Online Gaming Environments
In June 2024, our partners ECPAT International hosted a workshop that brought together child rights representatives, researchers and online gaming companies to discuss gender, safety and help-seeking behaviours in online environments. Participants explored challenges, identified gaps and proposed key actions aimed at ensuring gender-sensitive children’s safety in online gaming. Attending the workshop in Brussels on […]
20 Years, 20 Voices: KJT, Luxembourg
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Child Helpline International, we invited some of our members – from all around the world, and whether they are founding members or members who have only recently joined us – to share their stories in this special series showcasing child helplines across the globe. KJT (KANNER-JUGENDTELEFON) – LUXEMBOURG Since […]
20 Years, 20 Voices: ANAR, Spain
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Child Helpline International, we invited some of our members – from all around the world, and whether they are founding members or members who have only recently joined us – to share their stories in this special series showcasing child helplines across the globe. ANAR, SPAIN ANAR Foundation is […]
20 Years, 20 Voices: Child and Youth Helpline, Finland
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Child Helpline International, we invited some of our members – from all around the world, and whether they are founding members or members who have only recently joined us – to share their stories in this special series showcasing child helplines across the globe. CHILD AND YOUTH HELPLINE, FINLAND […]
20 Years, 20 Voices: AWEL, Belgium
Child Helpline International has now existed for 20 years! To celebrate this momentous achievement, we invited some of our members – from all around the world, and from founding members to members who have only recently joined us – to share their stories in this special series. AWEL, BELGIUM “Awel’’ – the start to many […]