New research from R U OK? shows young people are taking the lead in supporting each other and asking the simple but powerful question: “Are you OK?”.
The latest findings, released ahead of this year’s R U OK? Day, reveal that 94 per cent of Australians aged 16 to 24 have supported someone at least once in the past month, while more than half have been asking more regularly across the past year.
For Kate Jones, an educator and R U OK? Community Ambassador, the shift is striking. “As someone who has spent nearly twenty years in education, and as a parent who has experienced the heartbreak of losing a son to suicide, I see how much is changing across generations,” she said. “When I look at young people today, I see them leading the way in how they care for each other. They’re having open, honest conversations that my generation simply didn’t have.
“When I was a student forty years ago, mental health was never spoken about. What I see now is a generation stepping into spaces that were once silent. Their willingness to ask the tough questions gives me real hope that the future will be safer and more connected.”
Seventeen years since the first R U OK? Day, the campaign continues to encourage Australians to connect with those around them. “This is how change happens – one conversation at a time, one generation at a time,” said R U OK? CEO Katherine Newton.
But the report also found a confidence gap. Some people worry about saying the wrong thing, invading privacy, embarrassing someone, or not being able to solve their problem. Newton acknowledged that hesitation. “We’ve all had moments where we’ve noticed someone struggling with life’s challenges, a serious illness, a relationship breakdown, parenting pressures, financial stress, grief, or perhaps they just haven’t seemed like themselves. We feel we should check in, but then we hesitate.
“That hesitation is natural and something we can all experience, me included. But you can make a difference for someone who is struggling if you’re genuine when you reach out, and you really listen.”
For 19-year-old community ambassador Mahir Manut, the difference is personal. “To anyone worried about asking R U OK?, I’d say, ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’. By asking, you open the door to a conversation that could be life-changing. If you don’t ask, that chance disappears completely. At worst, the chat might not go anywhere, but that’s exactly what will happen if you never ask. A conversation definitely can change a life. It changed mine.”
The data backs that up, showing nine in ten people felt grateful and supported when asked if they were OK. Newton says those small gestures matter. “When someone is navigating a difficult time, it’s the small moments of care from the people they trust that stay with them. It’s the hand on their shoulder. It’s the message from a friend that says, ‘I know it’s been a rough week, but I’m here’. Words that acknowledge how they’re feeling and remind them they’re not alone.”
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