Children frequently calling support lines for help despite schools reopening

The Kindertelefoon has said they are still receiving many worrisome calls from children and young adults despite secondary schools reopening. The Kindertelefoon is a free hotline children and young adults can call when they are struggling with mental health problems or other personal issues.

Despite a handful of coronavirus measures being relaxed recently, calls about emotional problems have gone up by 15 percent compared to January. On average, the Kindertelefoon receives 18 calls about domestic violence daily. Additionally, around 21 children and young adults call every day saying they are contemplating suicide.

“On the one hand there is relief [schools are reopening], but there are also greater concerns about learning disadvantages. All in all, we are still having an unprecedented high number of distressing calls every day”, director of the Kindertelefoon, Roline de Wilde said to the ANP.

Calls regarding exam fears have more than doubled, according to de Wilde. “Students are afraid they have fallen too far behind because they lacked motivation or concentration during the lockdown.”

“It is striking that since secondary schools are open again there has only been a slight flattening in the growing number of calls about emotional problems”, de Wilde said. “We still have a whopping 49 percent more conversation every day about emotional issues than we did before the pandemic.”

During the second lockdown there was also a spike in the number of conversations about emotional problems.