A May 2026 report from Crisis Text Line — a free, 24/7 confidential mental health support service — found nearly 1 in 3 boys under 14 years old discussed thoughts of suicide, and nearly 1 in 6 discussed self-harm in crisis conversations.
The findings were based on 71,869 de-identified U.S.-based Crisis Text Line conversations conducted between 2022 and 2024. Researchers said 49% of participants were younger than 25 years old and 27% identified as LGBTQ+.
Here are four things to know:
- Anxiety and stress came up in 39% of all conversations with boys and men and in more than 40% of conversations among men over 18.
- Isolation and loneliness arose from 18% of conversations with boys under 14 to more than 27% among men over 65, according to the report.
- Boys under 14 were nearly twice as likely to bring up suicide and self-harm compared to men over 55, appearing in 31% versus 17% of conversations, respectively. Substance use was less common overall, but boys and men mentioned it nearly twice as much as other texters, at 4% versus 2.2%.
- Relationships were discussed in nearly 1 in 3 conversations with boys and men, making it one of the most common relational stressors identified by researchers.
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