Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Switzerland sees rise in suicidal thoughts among youngsters

Child cowers under bedclothes
Pro Juventute says the mental wellbeing of children and youths is being neglected. Keystone / Christof Schuerpf

Swiss child and youth support agency Pro Juventute has received 40% more calls from young people with suicidal thoughts during the pandemic.

The non-profit foundation speaks to around 700 children and youths every day, which is far more than during the first year of Covid-19, it announced on Monday.

Around 1% of these calls (some seven per day) concern youngsters who have had thought of suicide whilst others have self-harmed in some form.

Almost half of the people contacting Pro Juventute say they have experienced sexual harassment online.

Not all the problems can be attributed to the pandemic. Another important theme of consultations (23%) concerns career choices, with many youngsters complaining of “excessive demands and stress”.

“The problems that are now visible are not only a direct consequence of the corona pandemic, but of years of neglect in the area of ​​mental health of children and adolescents – despite many warning signs,” the foundation statedExternal link. “It is time to take the problems of future generations seriously and invest more resources in dealing with them.”

It has called for more funds to support its 147.ch advice service.

More than 300,000 children and young people and almost 140,000 parents in Switzerland benefit from Pro Juventute’s services every year.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Swiss Post CEO Roberto Cirillo steps down at the end of March after six years

More

Swiss Post CEO to step down

This content was published on The boss of Swiss Post, Roberto Cirillo, is stepping down at the end of March after six years in the job, the company announced on Friday.

Read more: Swiss Post CEO to step down
UBS replaces CS logos on Paradeplatz

More

UBS takes over Credit Suisse’s former Zurich HQ

This content was published on The name and logo of the former Credit Suisse headquarters at Paradeplatz 8 in Zurich's financial centre were officially replaced by those of UBS on Friday.

Read more: UBS takes over Credit Suisse’s former Zurich HQ
Outgoing Fedpol chief warns of funding cuts for police work

More

Outgoing Swiss federal police chief warns of insufficient resources

This content was published on The outgoing director of the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), Nicoletta della Valle, has warned that officers, prosecutors and investigators in Switzerland have insufficient resources to do their work.

Read more: Outgoing Swiss federal police chief warns of insufficient resources
Swiss films recorded more admissions in 2024

More

Swiss film industry reports successful year in 2024

This content was published on Swiss films did well in cinemas in 2024, recording over 907,000 admissions, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reports. They accounted for almost 9% of all films shown last year in Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss film industry reports successful year in 2024
Migros grows in 2024 despite turbulence

More

Swiss retail giant Migros posts record 2024 sales

This content was published on Despite an ongoing restructuring programme, Swiss retail giant Migros continued to grow last year by 1.6%, posting record sales of CHF32.5 billion ($35.7 billion).

Read more: Swiss retail giant Migros posts record 2024 sales

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR