Childline has launched an app that is the first to provide counselling to young people in need of help directly through their mobile devices.

The app has been named ‘For Me’ to ensure that it can be discreetly installed. This means that if someone happens to see the young person’s phone they can’t tell it’s a Childline service.

For Me’ was created by 4 teenagers who realised there was an urgent need for young people to have easy access to confidential advice and support.

When Childline first launched over 30 years ago all contact was over the phone, with many calls being made from telephone boxes.  How children and young people contact Childline is dramatically different now:

• 71% of counselling sessions are delivered online via email and 1-2-1 chat
• Last year, 1.8 million sessions on the Childline website were conducted via mobile devices.

The app, developed in partnership with Barclays, is now available as a free download so young people can easily access Childline’s online services.

These include:

• 1-2-1 chat with a counsellor
• ‘Ask Sam’ problem pages
• Private locker – a personal area where young people can track their mood and write down their thoughts.

For more information about Childline and about the NSPCC see the following link: NSPCC link

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