New York Mandates Inclusion of Crisis Text Line and 988 Hotline on Student ID Cards

To address the growing youth mental health epidemic, New York state has passed a bill requiring the 988 suicide prevention hotline and Crisis Text Line's numbers (741741) to be printed on the back of student ID cards starting in 2025.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 20-34. The implementation of this law, known as the "Student Lifeline Act," will help to provide students with easy access to mental health resources during moments of crisis and distress.

The stressors that students face, including academic pressure, social dynamics, and personal issues, can take a toll on their mental well-being. Although they need to know where to turn for support, this information is not always readily available. By printing the suicide prevention hotline and Crisis Text Line numbers on student ID cards, students will have a readily available resource to turn to when they need help navigating their emotions and coping with challenges.

This law applies to institutions of higher education that issue student IDs, particularly colleges and universities, where young adults between the ages of 18-24 are in the greatest need of awareness of these resources.

The "Student Lifeline Act" not only provides students with access to life-saving resources, but it also destigmatizes mental health concerns and raises awareness about the importance of seeking support during times of crisis.

Thanks to the efforts of lawmakers and organizations like Crisis Text Line, more than 8 million middle and high school students in 12 states, along with nearly 1 million college students in New York, will have this mental health resource readily available on their student ID cards.

Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, confidential, and nonjudgmental text-based mental health support in English and Spanish. To connect with a live, trained volunteer Crisis Counselor, individuals can text HELLO to 741741 or 443-SUPPORT in WhatsApp for English, or text HOLA to 741741 or 442-AYUDAME in WhatsApp for Spanish.

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The organization is committed to creating an empathetic world where nobody feels alone, and its services have engaged in more than 10 million crisis conversations since its inception in 2013.