Bell Let's Talk Day 2025 to Prioritize Youth Mental Health as Young Canadians Face Growing Crisis

CNW Group
4 min read

In This Article:

  • Bell to give $10 million towards mental health in 2025, bringing total Bell Let's Talk investment to $184 million since 2010

  • Bell Let's Talk Day on January 22, 2025 to feature text-to-donate campaign in support of six youth mental health providers

  • Bell to match Canadians' donations by text on Bell Let's Talk Day up to $1 million

  • Youth mental health in decline according to new Mental Health Research Canada report

Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk, Michael Cooper, Vice President, MHRC and Melissa Grelo, Co-Host of CTV's The Social are joined by youth representatives for the unveiling of a new national report on youth mental health. (CNW Group/Bell Canada)
Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk, Michael Cooper, Vice President, MHRC and Melissa Grelo, Co-Host of CTV's The Social are joined by youth representatives for the unveiling of a new national report on youth mental health. (CNW Group/Bell Canada)

MONTRéAL, Oct. 10, 2024 /CNW/ - As a new comprehensive national report released today by Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) shows there is a growing mental health crisis among young Canadians, Bell announced it will prioritize youth mental health on Bell Let's Talk Day (January 22, 2025) and will launch a text-to-donate campaign with 100% of the funds raised going to six youth mental health providers: Integrated Youth Services, Jack.org, Kids Help Phone, National Association of Friendship Centres, Strongest Families Institute and Youth In Mind Foundation.

On Bell Let's Talk Day, Canadians can give $5 by text with Bell matching all donations up to a total of $1 million, as part of Bell's $10 million mental health commitment in 2025.

Today on World Mental Health Day, Bell unveiled MHRC's new report on youth mental health at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). A Generation At Risk: The State of Youth Mental Health in Canada is the most recent comprehensive report of its kind, developed in collaboration with youth mental health providers, and featuring all-Canadian data and insights.

The report outlines recommendations and evidence-based calls to action for improvements in three key areas including: prevention and dedication, service quality, and access to mental health services.

MHRC Report – Key Statistics:

  • Suicide is the second leading cause of death: Suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people in Canada, accounting for 21% of deaths; 24% of youth (16-24) report suicidal ideation.

  • Priority youth populations: 2SLGBTQI+ communities, newcomers, Black and Indigenous youth have higher rates of poor mental health and experience barriers to accessing care.

  • Early onset of mental health conditions: Youth are considered a vulnerable population with approximately 66% to 75% of mental health issues having an onset before the age of 24.

  • Self-stigma: While young people are generally comfortable discussing mental health as a broad topic, they are less comfortable discussing their own mental health conditions.

  • Unmet mental health needs: Approximately 1.25 million youth in Canada need mental health supports every year. Nearly 3 in 5 (57%) of those youth are not getting the help they need.

  • Contributing factors: Mental health issues increased among youth before the pandemic and have worsened since then due to a combination of social disconnection, excessive screen time (6+ hours daily) and socio-economic challenges. In addition, 50% of youth (18-34) feel climate change negatively impacts their mental health.

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