Youthline ASB State Of The Generation 2026 Unveiled

Young New Zealanders under mounting strain as cost of living, lack of mental health support and increasing social pressure take their toll

The latest Youthline ASB State of the Generation report reveals a generation of young New Zealanders grappling with today’s rising living costs, job concerns, limited access to mental health support and constant societal pressure in an always-on digital world.

This report presents new, nationally significant findings capturing what matters most to young people in Aotearoa New Zealand and the issues impacting their wellbeing. The research is evidence-based, policy-relevant and offers critical insights into the lives, challenges and outlook of young people. It’s based on a nationwide survey of young people aged 12 to 24 years of age and was conducted earlier this year by research company TRA and funded by ASB.

Mental health

From their own perspective, the most important issue facing young people today is mental health (59%), yet many say they feel the system is falling short, with the biggest concern cited as a lack of mental health support (32%). Long-wait times and limited access to services are reported as key barriers.

Youthline CEO Shae Ronald says, “Whilst it was reassuring to see that Youthline is still well known as the number one mental health support organisation for young people to reach out to for support, 41% of young people were not aware of any mental health support organisations. This lack of awareness of the mental health support that is available is highly concerning given the rising rates of youth mental health distress Aotearoa New Zealand is experiencing.

“Barriers such as location, cost, transport, stigma and a lack of clarity about how to access services, further compound the challenge. Navigating the system can be confusing and overwhelming, particularly for young people and whānau already under stress.”

Reflecting similar findings from other research conducted in New Zealand, but encompassing young people outside of school up to the age of 24, Youthline’s State of the Generation report shows the majority of our rangatahi are doing well but a significant number are not, especially those from underserved communities.

Ronald says that aligns with what Youthline sees on the front line. “Māori, Pasifika, Asian, migrant and refugee, rainbow and young people with disabilities are consistently over-represented when it comes to levels of mental health distress and poor mental health outcomes. We know this isn’t because of who people are – it’s because of how they are treated, the barriers they face and how systems respond to them. Being part of these communities doesn’t inherently cause mental health distress, inequity and discrimination do.”

While just over half of 12-24-year-olds questioned only used positive words to describe how they feel, more than a third used both positive and negative words and one-in-ten (10%) only used negative words, such as “stressed,” “anxious,” or “lonely”, underscoring the scale of the issue. Negative feelings and worries about the future were most acute among the older 18-24-year-old age group (14% compared with 10%) and the rainbow (21%), disabled (20%) and neurodiverse (17%) communities.

Cost of living, job concerns

Cost of living (18%) and the job market (17%) were two of the most challenging things facing young people today. While a lack of job opportunities was viewed as the second most important issue young people are facing.

Many reported stress around affording basic needs, including food, bills and housing, with concerns particularly acute among 18–24-year-olds. They reported financial pressures are not just future concerns, but something impacting their day-to-day lives now, from missing out on activities to worrying about whether their household can make ends meet. Nearly half (47%) of all 12-17-year-olds say they are worried because their parents/whānau are stressed about money.

ASB works with Youthline to help ensure rangatahi can access mental health support when they need it the most. With ASB’s support, Youthline can provide support day and night through its 24/7 Helpline service.

Rebecca James, ASB’s Executive General Manager responsible for partnerships, says, “These results show how youth wellbeing continues to be negatively impacted by the wider issues facing New Zealand society, with cost-of-living as much a concern for today’s young people as their whānau. Alongside our support for youth mental health initiatives, we continue to work with schools and communities to lift financial literacy, helping to reduce anxiety around money and build positive financial habits. Together, these efforts support the wellbeing of young New Zealanders.”

Social pressures

When asked to describe the most challenging thing about being a young person, a quarter reported feeling under relentless pressure to ‘have everything together’ driven by expectations from adults, their peers and social media, contributing to stress and poor mental health.

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

Phone addiction/screen time, social media and AI

While mental health is considered the most important issue overall for all ages, two-thirds of young people say phone addiction/screentime (66%) and social media (65%) are the two ‘most common’ issues faced by young people today.

Just over a third consider phone addiction/screen time as the most important issue young people face and just under a third say social media is the most important issue they face.

Mental health is the next most common issue faced by young people (62%), followed by bullying (58%). When it comes to bullying, nearly one-in-three say it feels inescapable, with some citing the always-on nature of today’s online world.

AI was also a concern with nearly one-in-two (49%) young people saying they were ‘a little worried about AI’ and one-in-five saying they were ‘very worried about AI’. Key AI issues include uncertainty about what’s real and what isn’t (65%), fears around misinformation (61%) and its impact on future job options (57%).

“Young people are facing a broad and interconnected set of pressures,” says Ronald. “From limited mental health support and lack of job opportunities to rising living costs and bullying. These challenges are not only widespread but often feel difficult to escape or control as they are amplified by today’s digital environment and the growing influence of AI.”

Keeping young people safe online

Young people suggested a range of ideas for making online spaces safer, with just over half saying social media companies should have stricter safety rules, including removing harmful features and being open about how their algorithms work. They also want more education on online safety and media skills (49%) in schools, more safety features (48%) such as content warnings and privacy checks built into apps and for governments, schools, tech companies and young people to work together on digital safety (46%).

“It has always been our view that good social media controls will balance out the benefits social media also offers young people - benefits that include young people’s desire to connect, engage and seek help and support from their peers and others, when they need it,” says Ronald.

“Youthline supports actions that help keep young people safe and protected from online harm and we welcome the focus governments, platforms and communities are bringing to this issue. It's important that whatever solutions are put in place are developed with young people so they are meaningful to them and their lives."

Other key findings

Even though many young people were positive about their own outlook, they are still acutely aware of the issues facing them and their peers, says Ronald.

When they do need help, most turn to their parents or carers (53%) or a friend (49%). But nearly a quarter use social media to find other people going through similar things and one-in-five talk to AI chatbots. It is encouraging that those who need support most, however, do seem to be accessing more formal mental health support, says Ronald.

“At Youthline we have seen a huge increase in young people reaching out to us for support, especially since Covid 19. In the past three months we hit an all-time high connecting an average of four young people a day with emergency services, compared to one a week only five years ago.”

Above all, young people want to feel heard, says Ronald. “We hope this State of the Generation report helps share young people’s views and gives them a voice, so we can all work together to help make a difference in the lives of so many young New Zealanders who need us to listen and provide effective, empathetic mental health support when, where and how they need it.”

About Youthline

Youthline is a "with youth, for youth" not for profit organisation that has been offering support to young people aged 12-24 years across Aotearoa New Zealand for over 55 years. Youthline focuses on youth development and mental health support, providing a free 24/7 helpline, counselling and mentoring services for rangatahi. For more information, visit: www.youthline.co.nz

This is Youthline’s latest State of the Generation report and was funded by ASB. The report is publicly available online at www.youthline.co.nz. Previous reports were published in 2021 and 2023.

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