1 in 2 youth today are struggling with their mental health alone, leaving many adults in the dark on the severity of the mental health crisis among adolescents.

That insight underpins “Fine,” new work from Kids Help Phone created in partnership with McCann Canada, where the e-mental health service shows adults that when adolescents say they are “fine," the truth is often quite different. “Fine” is the response given when there’s too much to say so nothing is said, when there are so many feelings it's impossible to express them.

Leveraging the Feel Out Loud platform launched in late 2022 which depicts Kids Help Phone as a safe space where youth can express their feelings, the creative speaks directly to adults in Canada about the crisis, pulling back the curtain and revealing how young people are really feeling when they say that they’re “fine.” While many young people may struggle to open up about their mental health to family or friends, Kids Help Phone offers a safe space for them to do so. The work is a part of Kids Help Phone’s national movement, anchored by a fundraising goal of $300 million, to reach young people in every corner of Canada by 2024 by expanding access to its e-mental health services.

The creative launched on March 2 and will run through April 16 on digital, TV, out of home, and social channels.