With this in mind, and because the mental health of the population—particularly young people—is a priority area for Santé publique France’s programming, the #JenParleA awareness campaign, launched in June 2021, will continue through June 2022 with an expanded digital platform and a complementary poster campaign. The goal remains the same: to encourage open communication—the first step toward seeking help—and to encourage adolescents experiencing distress to talk to a trusted person or reach out to the Fil Santé Jeunes service.

Youth mental health remains a concern

The health crisis has had consequences for adolescents’ mental health, as observed by National Education professionals, pediatricians, and child psychiatrists (notably, demotivation, dropping out of school, withdrawal, and anxiety-driven refusal to attend school). The monitoring system established by Santé publique France has confirmed these trends at both the national and regional levels. Since the beginning of 2022, emergency room visits for mood disorders, suicidal gestures, and suicidal ideation have remained at high levels, comparable to those observed in early 2021 and even higher among 15- to 17-year-olds.

• For more information: Mental Health. Monthly Update, March 2022.

“Data collected in 2021 and early 2022 indicate an increase in mental health issues among adolescents compared to previous years. Adolescence is a period of life subject to many changes that can impact mental health, and the COVID-19 health crisis appears to have left some adolescents particularly vulnerable. These findings have led us to implement targeted communication initiatives to encourage open discussion about mental distress and to offer those who feel the need access to appropriate remote support services to assist and guide them, thereby preventing the development of disorders and their chronicity.” Enguerrand du Roscoät – Head of the Mental Health Unit at Santé publique France.

A successful initial campaign targeting young people…

In June 2021, as a continuation of its national awareness campaign “Talking about it is already part of the healing process,” aimed at those over 18, Santé publique France launched an information initiative #JenParleA dedicated to adolescents aged 11–17. Its goal was to promote early intervention for adolescents’ psychological distress, in the context of the health crisis, by encouraging them to talk about their distress with a trusted adult and/or referring them to the Fil Santé Jeunes remote support service.

This campaign was well-received by young people and led to an increase in the use of the Fil Santé Jeunes service, as highlighted by the online evaluation conducted from July 16 to 29, 2021:

• 84% of the adolescents surveyed felt that the campaign provided new information

• 94% of them found it useful

• 4 out of 10 young people who recognized the campaign felt it applied to them, particularly those who had felt sad, stressed, or anxious in the past 30 days (47%)

• +67% increase in daily visits to the Fil Santé Jeunes website

• + 116% increase in chat requests during the campaign’s run

… expanded and relaunched to continue encouraging young people to speak up when they’re struggling

In light of the latest data indicating that adolescents’ mental health remains poor at the start of this year and the positive reception among the target audience of the #JenParleA campaign, Santé publique France is relaunching a campaign enriched with new content through June 2022. The objective remains unchanged: to prevent the onset and development of mental health issues among adolescents by encouraging them to seek help through open dialogue and by facilitating access to support and referral services, particularly Fil Santé Jeunes.

In addition to the rerun of the four 15-second #JenParleA videos on TikTok and Snapchat since January 2022, new content has been developed. Five episodes of the street interviews series “Et toi comment ça va ?” (How are you doing?), produced by Santé publique France in partnership with Purebreak and shared on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, will be available online between March and June 2022.

The purpose of these street interviews is to feature testimonials from young people—alone or in small groups—about the strategies they use when they’re not feeling well, when they’re anxious, upset, or depressed. What do they do in these situations? Who do they talk to, and how? By meeting them in their daily lives, these videos show that feeling down can happen to anyone and that talking about it is essential to feeling better. In fact, this is the solution most frequently cited by the young people interviewed for getting better and overcoming a period of distress.

Finally, posters will complement the initiative to reach young people with little or no access to social media or digital tools in mainland France and the overseas territories. They feature two groups of young people: middle school students (ages 11–15) and high school students (ages 15–18) and will be distributed starting March 21 in schools (general and vocational), agricultural schools, municipal youth services, and sports organizations, with the support of the relevant ministries. These posters recommend reaching out to a trusted adult and direct users to Fil Santé Jeunes, the helpline specifically designed for them.

It is important to remember that if there are signs of anxiety or depression (sadness, loss of interest or energy, excessive irritability, etc.), or in the event of unusual behavioral changes (dropping out of school, social isolation, significant loss or gain of appetite or weight, etc.), it is important to talk about it and consult your doctor to be referred to available support and solutions.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 3114. Reception, assessment, intervention, and referral for people in distress with suicidal thoughts. Information and advice for loved ones, professionals, and those grieving a suicide (confidential and free call, available every day, 24 hours a day, by phone or online).