Teens helping teens with mental health challenges

LOS ANGELES - The CDC says the number of teens reporting poor mental health is increasing. 

With that in mind, many young people don’t feel like they have someone to talk to. 

This is where Teen Line comes in. 

Teen Line is a peer support line, where teens listen to other teens who are struggling with their mental health. 

In 2022, they say they responded to more than 6,500 calls, texts or emails from young people in need of a little help getting through the day. 

"We are in a crisis where teens are just struggling. There's so much pressure on them and there's so much uncertainty around the future," Cheryl Eskin, Senior Director of Didi Health Services’ Teen Line said.

RELATED:

• American teens' mental health crisis: What's driving this?
• US teen girls experiencing record-high levels of sadness, violence, and suicide risk, CDC says
• Study finds spike in children going to ER with suicidal thoughts — even before pandemic

Teen Line volunteers specialize in crisis calls, suicide, child abuse, and sexual abuse. 

But 17-year-old volunteer Luna McNeff Yee says they will listen to anything a teenager needs to talk about.

"Sometimes teenagers are really struggling with a relationship or school stress or, you know, argument with their parents," McNeff Yee said. 

"Those things are no less valid just because there may be smaller issues. And so we handle those calls, too. And so we'll take calls about any issues. We're willing to talk about anything."

You can call Teen Line at 800-852-8336 from 6-10pm PST every night or text TEEN to 839863 from 6-9pm.