The helpline received 80,085 contacts from young New Zealanders in the past year, with 91% of those coming through text messages.
Text messaging was the easiest way for young people to reach out for help, Youthline chief executive Stephen Bell said.
Youthline conducted a survey on the issues young people face and found the five biggest issues facing young people today are alcohol, drugs, bullying, peer pressure and self-esteem.
It compared the survey with the same conducted 14 years ago and found comparatively fewer young people are now smoking cigarettes, binge-drinking, trying marijuana and engaging in risk-taking behaviour.
The survey found 15% of calls to Youthline were about depression, 14% about family relationships or peer relationships, and 12% about partner relationships or suicide.
A further 9% of calls to Youthline were about self-harm, 7% about fear and anxiety, 4% about bullying, and 2% about grief and loss, or sexual violence.
"One trend we have highlighted for 2015 is a significant increase in issues related to self-harm and immediate risk of harm from suicide," Mr Bell said.
"Our support teams are also needing to learn more about cultural competency for working with gay and transgender young people."
The number of young people accessing the Youthline service hit 36,000 last year.
