Self-harm is on the rise among young Canadians, especially girls, new research shows.

Warning: This story contains details about self-harm and suicide.

For three years, Margaret Boldt was tormenting herself in order to feel some kind of control over her life.

Boldt, who lives in Windsor, Ontario, says she grew up in an abusive home and struggled with an eating disorder. She says she started cutting herself at the age of 16.

“In the beginning, I almost wanted people to pay attention to it, because I wanted them to know how much I was really struggling,” she said. “When it became an addiction, I started hiding it more.”

But the injuries became so severe that she eventually had to go to the hospital “every few weeks, if not every day” for stitches.

He then began using drugs, as he found that the addiction kept him from cutting himself.

Now 20, Boldt says he hasn’t hurt himself in five months and is currently in a substance abuse recovery program.

Boldt is part of a growing number of youth who are turning to suicide in Canada new research Published Monday in the American Medical Association Pediatrics Journal.

Lead author Dr Natasha Saunders said, on average, rates of self-harm among people aged 24 and under who were medically treated increased by 3.5 per cent each year between 2000 and 2024 – more than doubling over the 25-year study period.

Saunders’ research shows that in 2000, there were an average of 10.2 self-harm medical visits per 10,000 people. Over the years, that rate increased. The increase was fastest among girls, at 3.6 percent annually, while for boys it was 1.2 percent annually.

“This tells us that our kids are not doing well, and if we don’t put on the brakes and do things to stop this trajectory, we’re in real trouble,” he said.

When the authors looked at research on self-reported self-harm, they found a 2.5 percent annual increase in both girls and boys.

“This is what we’re seeing on the ground — I see it in my practice, in the hospital; we see it in the pediatric wards,” said Saunders, who is also a pediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. However, he said, the magnitude of the trends surprised him.

Saunders says he found similar growth trends in all the countries he looked at.

Their large-scale analysis reviewed 42 studies from January 2000 to December 2024 and included more than 234 million people. The research was from a dozen high-income countries, including Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

The studies either tracked hospital visits related to self-harm or looked at self-reported surveys. The analysis defines suicide as intentional injury to oneself, with or without the intention of dying by suicide.

Of most concern to Saunders is that these numbers are likely “a vast underestimate.”

“Really without health care a lot of people will harm themselves or hurt themselves,” he said. “This is really just the tip of the iceberg.”

Self-harm is the ‘canary in the coal mine’

Saunders says this increase is particularly troubling, because suicide is often the “canary in the coal mine.”

“It speaks to the broader crisis. It speaks to what’s going to happen in terms of their overall health,” he said. “And so I think we really need to pay attention.”

Although self-harm is not a mental illness in itself, it can be a symptom of a mental illness, It also puts people at increased risk of dying by suicide, says Dr. Rachel Mitchell, a child and youth psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto.

He said, “If you learn to hurt yourself as a way to cope, you constantly use it as a way to cope as well.” “And ultimately it makes us more desensitized to something more serious, more lethal.”

Mitchell says this is particularly worrying Recent data shows More young girls are dying by suicide in North America.

Research also shows Teens who self-harm have a higher risk of developing anxiety, depression, or substance use disorders as young adults.

Is social media playing a role?

Although this latest research doesn’t address what’s behind the increase, the study’s authors suggest that social media is partly to blame.

And there’s a lot of research to support it a literature review Several studies have highlighted where social media use has led to an increase in mental distress and self-harm behavior.

“Everything is being thrust upon (youth) right now. There are some global events going on that are disturbing. Information is coming at them so fast,” Saunders said.

“We are not equipping them with the tools they need to help them with their emotional regulation and coping.”

And despite restrictions aimed at limiting such content, children are still exposed to suicide and suicide-related material online, Mitchell says.

But she also says social media probably isn’t the whole reason, noting that it can also provide a safe space for people who are struggling.

Experts don’t really know why girls are causing more self-harm than boys, but Mitchell says it may be because girls spend more time online and are more prone to self-comparison.

Boldt, 20, of Windsor, says she agrees that social standards and pressure to fit in play a role.

Her friend Jessica Pauley, who is in recovery from substance abuse, said she self-injured for years. Although social media didn’t encourage her, Pauly says she remembers when self-harm material was more easily available and shared online.

“It’s scary that, like suicide… it can actually be glorified and made into something cool,” he said.

“Life gets hard sometimes, but you have to find a way to deal with it in a healthy way because if you do bad things you’ll set yourself back.”

coping strategies

When it comes to coping, Mitchell says it’s important to remind young people that heightened emotions are temporary, and they can develop healthy coping mechanisms when they feel agitated.

“That could be listening to music, touching something cold, smelling something nice… anything… just to relieve the intensity of that feeling,” he said.

Saunders says more can be done to protect youth Social media banned for those under 16 in Australia, Which came into effect in December. She says it will be important to see how effective it is.

The Canadian government has considered creating a Online Harm Act To better protect youth from harmful content. But the controversial bill was rejected in January 2025, when Parliament was dissolved.

Ottawa has said it still plans to move forward with some similar legislation, but has not announced anything yet.

Where to get help

If you or someone you know is struggling, look here for help:

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention says if you’re concerned that someone you know may be at risk of suicide, you should talk to them about it. Here are some warning signs:

• suicidal thoughts.
• Substance use.
• Purposelessness.
• Worry
• Feeling trapped.
• Despair and helplessness.
• withdrawal.
• Anger.
• Negligence.
• The mood changes.