Childline received more than 1,200, texts and messages from children and young people to its service on Christmas day.The agency said children contact them for a variety of reasons every Christmas Day. Many of the calls are from those experiencing family difficulties, loneliness and mental health issues.
A study by Childline this year found that family life was having the most impact on children's wellbeing. Some 15% of those surveyed said they could not really talk to their family.
Margie Roe, national manager of the ISPCC’s Childline service, said children made contact with them for a number of reasons.
“In some cases these children and young people feel they can’t talk to family and are not sure who to turn to,” she said.
Anyone wishing to contact Childline can do so by phone on 1800 66 66 66, by texting ‘Talk’ to 50101 or using the ‘Chat to us’ feature on childline.ie