The State of Australia’s Children 2025: A Confronting Snapshot and a Call We Can No Longer Ignore

9 December 2025

By Rose Cuff, CEO & Co-Founder, Satellite Foundation

Australia is often described as a great and ‘lucky’ place to grow up. We have stable systems, strong public institutions and a national belief in giving children the best start in life. But the latest State of Australia’s Children 2025 report tells us something far more sobering: many children are not thriving, and for some groups, the gaps are widening at an alarming rate.

For children and young people who face significant challenges, including young carers, the picture is even more concerning. And in some areas, we simply do not have the specific data we need to understand their experiences or respond appropriately. That should worry all of us.

Young carers under 15 remain unseen in national data

One of the most glaring omissions in the report is the lack of data on children under 15 who are in caring roles. These children are invisible at a national level, despite the reality that many take on caring roles and responsibilities as young as 6. Many of those children and young people are caring about and for someone in their family or community living with mental ill-health, yet we do not know how many, nor what their experiences are. This should go beyond data collection to a respectful, strengths-based approach that genuinely seeks to understand these experiences, ensuring people receive the right support, at the right time and in the right place.

Mental health and wellbeing is everyone’s business. What we see is deeply significant:

The population of young carers has doubled in recent years, now reaching almost 400,000 children and young people (Lester, 2024).
Among 15–24 year olds, 9.3% identify as carers, up from 6% in 2018.
Young carers consistently report difficulties balancing school, mental health, household responsibilities and their own wellbeing.

Without a national response and deepened understanding of their experiences, including data, younger carers remain absent from policy, funding and system design. At Satellite, we hear their stories every day but at a national level, they are not counted.

Disproportionate Impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be overrepresented in out-of-home care, comprising 41% of all children in care in 2023–24 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024). While overall rates of out-of-home care have declined, this disparity remains significant. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have strong family, cultural and community connections, and there is a critical need to build on these strengths through community-led, culturally safe approaches that help keep children safe, supported, and connected to family and culture.

Disproportionate outcomes are also evident in the justice system. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children make up 59% of children in detention, despite representing 5.7% of the total population aged 10–17 (AIHW, 2023). These figures highlight the urgent need for prevention, early intervention, and culturally grounded supports that address systemic drivers of inequity and promote wellbeing and connection.

Younger and younger children are asking for help

Recent reporting in The Guardian Gen Z Australians are attempting suicide and self-harming more than previous generations, study finds | Health | The Guardian , adds a confronting layer. Analysis of national data shows that self-harm and suicidality among young people is rising, and critically, this includes much younger children.

Kids Helpline data reveals:

Among 10-year-olds contacting the service in 2025, 11% raised concerns about suicide, up from 4% in 2012.
Among 11-year-olds, suicidality-related contacts increased from 3% in 2012 to 15% in 2025.
Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for young people aged 15–24.

Professor Jo Witt, lead researcher, makes the case plainly:
“We need programs in schools and communities that reach young people before suicidal thinking develops… and safe online and offline spaces where they can access support.”

These are not abstract statistics. These are real children, in real distress, often carrying burdens far beyond their years.

Cost-of-living pressures deepen disadvantage

The report also highlights how rising living costs are affecting children directly. Youth homelessness, material deprivation and family stress are increasing — especially for young carers, children with disability, those living in remote communities and those in out-of-home care.

We know what needs to change — the report is clear

The State of Australia’s Children 2025 calls for urgent, coordinated, rights-based action. Key priorities include:

A national children’s data strategy so no child remains “invisible”.
Investment in prevention and early intervention, rather than relying on crisis systems.
Equitable access to early childhood, education, mental health and family supports.
Centre children’s voices in decisions that affect them.
Community-led, culturally safe solutions, particularly for First Nations children.
Holistic, system-wide approaches that recognise the interconnected nature of wellbeing.

Why this matters — and why we can’t wait

If we don’t act:

developmental gaps will widen
mental health distress will escalate
children’s future opportunities will reduce
economic and social impacts will intensify
and entire groups of children — like young carers — will continue to be left out of the national story

Investing in children is not optional. It is urgent. It is evidence-based. And it is economically smart.

“We cannot keep waiting to invest in children. The longer we delay, the deeper the consequences.”

Australia has everything it needs to ensure children thrive. What’s missing is the commitment to act — early, boldly and in partnership with the children and young people whose futures depend on it. By listening to them, learning from them and their families, kin and communities.

At Satellite, we will continue advocating for children, young people and their families navigating family mental health challenges. Too often invisible, their wellbeing, along with all children’s, must be a national priority.