Research reveals young people are worried about mental health, bullying and job prospects

Source: Radio New Zealand

Young people are worried about mental health, bullying and job prospects, while feeling pressure to “have it all figured out”, according to new research by Youthline.

But where social media and vaping were near the top of their concerns in 2023, this year’s cohort are worried about job opportunities – or a lack of them.

Youthline, a not-for-profit offering support to young people for the past five decades, releases a “State of the Generation” report every two years, intended to gauge what issues are affecting young New Zealanders.

Data was gathered by way of a 10-minute survey of 1041 people, aged 12 to 24, across the country.

The biggest issues, according to this year’s survey group, were social pressure (25 percent), cost of living (18 percent), and the job market (17 percent).

According to one respondent: “It feels like we’re under constant pressure – from adults, from social media – to have everything figured out.”

When asked to name their three biggest issues, the results were mental health (59 percent), lack of job opportunities (52 percent), bullying (40 percent), money issues (38 percent) and climate change (35 percent).

The results varied between specific demographics – the younger cohort, specifically those aged 12 to 17, were more concerned about bullying, phone addiction/screen time and social media than the wider survey group.

Among the older demographic – those aged 18 to 24 – the biggest concerns were the cost of living and the job market.

For Māori, violence and abuse ranked higher as a concern, as did homelessness.

And among Asian communities, exam stress ranked substantially higher than the wider cohort.

In 2021, mental health (including anxiety, depression and stress) and social media topped the list of important issues for those surveyed – and those four things were on-top again in 2023.

Vaping, a new category in 2023, was sixth on the list. This year, that had dropped to 13th.

Research by Dot Loves Data, previously published by RNZ, showed younger people are spending less on vapes in 2025 than in previous years, perhaps as a result of stricter regulations.

Job opportunities a key area of concern

This year’s second biggest concern, a lack of job opportunities, had also seen a big jump – up from 18th, or third-to-bottom, in 2023. Now, 52 percent said it was one of the three most important issues they faced.

Many agreed experience requirements for jobs were a barrier to entry.

According to one: “Young people apply to millions of jobs and barely get a response. How are we supposed to move forward in life?”

And another: “Without job opportunities, young people will struggle to gain independence, build experience, and feel secure about their future.”

Money worries also featured highly on the list – 38 percent of respondents said it was one of their three most important issues.

According to the latest data from Stats NZ, the number of people aged between 15 and 24 years who were unemployed, and not in education or training, increased to 14.4 percent from 13.3 percent in the past year.

Women were the most affected, with one-in-five aged between 20 and 24 falling into that category.

“The job market is increasingly becoming a real problem area for that older cohort,” Youthline’s chief executive Shae Ronald told Nine to Noon. “And that has definitely come out through this survey.”

“We’re seeing it with young people who are reaching out to us for support, and parents and families who are reaching out to us for support. A lot of young people are graduating, for example, from university, and just have no opportunities.”

She said since the survey period ended, that pressure had been exacerbated by the fuel crisis, with families having less money to support young people.

Mental health support lacking, long wait-times

RNZ reported earlier this year there has been a spike in children under 12 needing mental health support.

Alongside problems like jobs and income, the report highlights a feeling of being let down by mental health services.

One respondent is quoted: “The wait times to see someone is ridiculous.”

And another: “It seems that the more it’s talked about, the more people realise they have mental health issues, putting strain on the system.”

When asked “How many children and young people’s mental health organisations can you think of?”, 41 percent of respondents couldn’t name any.

Twenty-three percent named Youthline unprompted, and then, in a follow-up question asking if they had heard of Youthline, 60 percent said they had.

Ronald said it was reassuring to see they were still well-known as a source of support, but the overall lack of awareness of sources of support was “highly concerning given the rising rates of youth mental health distress”.

“Barriers such as location, cost, transport, stigma and a lack of clarity about how to access services, further compound the challenge,” she said.

While bullying had long been an issue for young people, according to the report social media had increased bullies’ reach.

Twenty-seven percent of respondents agreed that bullying felt inescapable, and 22 percent said there had been an increase in cyber bullying.

“It’s worse now, because it doesn’t just stop at the end of the school day; the bullies can bully you online when you’re at home,” said one.

More young people talking to AI for support than to therapists or doctors

Despite the potential negative effects of social media, many young people went there for support, with 67 percent of those saying they turned to TikTok, 51 percent to Instagram, 44 percent to YouTube and 29 percent to Facebook. Other answers were Snapchat, Reddit, Discord, Pinterest, X, Twitch and WeChat.

Alternative sources of support were speaking to friends or parents – and 20 percent said they chatted to AI (for example, ChatGPT) for support. Of those, more than half (54 percent) said they used it weekly.

Sixteen percent said they spoken to a therapist, another 16 to a GP, and another 16 said they saw a school counsellor.

What needs to change?

According to the report, young people want to be able to access more support through online chat and text (19 percent of respondents), and at school (15 percent).

Only five percent said they wanted more counsellors and shorter wait times, and seven percent wanted free or affordable services. Helplines came out middle of the pack, at 8 percent.

“To remain relevant, mental health support must continue to meet them in these spaces,” the report says.

Ronald agreed. “The projections are that the global youth mental health crisis will continue to increase.”

“I do have hope that here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we can really pay attention and listen to what young people are saying, and we can work together in a really coordinated, collaborative way to ensure that we are, you know, strengthening and developing a system that works better for young people.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand