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Thousands of children are turning to Childline to seek help for anger issues

2025-05-12 / News

Thousands of children are turning to Childline to seek help for anger issues

We’re offering advice in dealing with these emotions in a healthy way.

New data shows Childline delivered 2,895 counselling sessions to young people struggling with anger issues, a 6% increase from the previous year¹.
This Mental Health Awareness Week², we’re encouraging children to process their anger in a healthy way and contact Childline if they need to talk.

Thousands of children and young people have received support from Childline for anger issues over the past year.

New data shows that we delivered close to 3,000 counselling sessions about the issue, online and over the phone. This is a 6% increase on the previous 12 months.

The rise in contacts on the topic has made anger issues a top ten mental health concern for all genders contacting the service³. This data gives insight into a generation increasingly struggling to manage and control their emotions in the face of a range of pressures at home, school, online and in the community.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re offering advice in dealing with these emotions in a healthy way.

One boy, aged 15, told Childline⁴ :

“For months I’ve been struggling with my anger. I started punching the wall, but I had to stop coz it was messing up my knuckles.

"Everyone in this house shouts and argues, the noise is too much. My mum always tries to ask me how I am, but I have to lie so I don’t add to the arguments.”

Counselling sessions delivered by Childline reveal several recurring themes when children are discussing anger.

Some are struggling with regulating their emotions during challenging situations and often experience frustration with parents and peers following disagreements. Others are sharing that they are aggressively criticising themselves.

One girl, aged 9, confided to Childline:

"I feel so angry all the time, shouting is just how I express myself.

"When my parents shout at me, I shout back.

"They tell me to talk in arguments and tell people how I feel but no one cares, no one listens unless I shout."

Shaun Friel, Childline Director, said:

"The fact that children are reaching out for help about their anger issues reflects the growing emotional challenges young people face in today's complex world.

"At Childline, we're seeing firsthand how pressures at home, school, online and in communities are affecting children's ability to manage and deal with difficult emotions.

"This Mental Health Awareness Week, we want to emphasise how crucial it is for children to learn healthy ways to process and express their feelings. We are also reminding young people that our counsellors are here to provide that safe space and can help them to learn vital skills for their wellbeing."

As well as encouraging children to contact Childline, the service has been working with children’s mental health charity, Place2Be, to release advice to both young people and parents on how to manage anger issues and look after their mental wellbeing.

1. Talk to someone you trust

Whether it's a parent, teacher, friend or Childline, sharing how you feel helps. 

2. Find healthy outlets for emotions

Try physical activities, creative expression, journaling, or relaxation techniques. 

3. Take care of your body

Regular sleep, healthy food, and exercise all support good mental health. 

4. Practice mindfulness

Take time each day to focus on your breathing and notice how you're feeling. 

5. Create a feel-good toolkit

Identify activities, people, and places that help you feel calm and happy when you're struggling. 

Worried about a child?

You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected]

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1. Create regular check-in times

Establish consistent opportunities for conversations about feelings, perhaps during dinner, car rides, or before bedtime.

2. Use open-ended questions

Ask "How are you feeling today?" rather than questions that can be answered with just "yes" or "no."

3. Model healthy emotional expression

Show children how you manage your own emotions in a constructive way.

4. Look for changes in behaviour

Notice shifts in sleeping patterns, appetite, social withdrawal, or increased irritability which may signal emotional struggles.

5. Normalise seeking help

Talk positively about therapy, counselling, and support services.

Dr Rebecca Kirkbride, Clinical Director at Place2Be, said:

“At Place2Be, we know that learning to express and process emotions healthily during childhood builds resilience and establishes positive coping mechanisms that serve young people throughout their lives. The rise in children seeking support for issues related to anger, as highlighted by Childline's data, demonstrates the importance of early intervention and teaching children healthy ways to process emotions.

“By creating safe spaces where young people feel heard and validated, we can help them develop the emotional vocabulary and self-regulation skills needed to navigate complex feelings, without expressing feelings through angry or aggressive behaviour – which may have implications for themselves or others around them.”

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References

1) Between April 2024–March 2025, Childline delivered 2,895 counselling session about anger/anger issues, a 6% increase from April 2023–March 2024 which saw 2,725 sessions about the same topic.
2) Mental Health Awareness Week has been led by the Mental Health Foundation since 2001. It aims to bring the UK together to focus on getting good mental health. It runs from 12 May–18 May 2025. 
3) Between April 2024–March 2025 anger/anger issues ranked 10th for girls, 6th for boys and 8th for trans/non-binary young people for mental/emotional health concerns. Between April 2023–March 2024 anger/anger issues ranked 11th for girls, 7th for boys and 15th for trans/non-binary young people for mental/emotional health.
4) Snapshots are based on real Childline service users but are not necessarily direct quotes. All names and potentially identifying details have been changed to protect the identity of the child or young person involved.