We asked teens how they're feeling right now, here's what they told us

"We asked teens how they're feeling right now, here's what they told us"

Keready responds to the emotional toll of recent news on South African youth

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As news of the alleged serial killings targeting women in Gauteng continues to dominate social media and daily conversation, Keready – Hold My Hand’s teen identity campaign - opened a direct, judgement-free channel to ask young people one simple question: how is this landing for you?

The response was immediate, honest, and, at times, difficult to read.

"Is it horrible to wish it would all just fade away?" one teen asked. Another admitted, "It's not that bad, so I'm okay", a reminder that coping looks different for everyone, and that neither response needs defending.

Several young people described a quieter kind of exhaustion. "Do you know what's going on in our society?" one wrote. Another said simply: "I feel sad, because innocent people are getting killed and the people who are supposed to protect us are the ones causing the pain." For some, it was official messaging itself that stung the most. The instruction to "avoid getting killed" landed less as safety advice and more as confirmation that fear has become something they're expected to just live with.

Many felt let down by those meant to protect them, and said as much without hesitation.

For some, the fear wasn't abstract, it showed up in ordinary moments. One young woman described how the anxiety of simply walking to school alone left her unable to focus on a test that same week. "I basically just need tips on how to stay grounded and know that I am surrounded," she wrote.

Notably, some of the most thoughtful responses came from boys grappling with a harder question: not how to stay safe, but why this keeps happening at all. "What makes someone want to hurt people they've never met?" one asked. "And how do we raise boys who don't grow up to become that?"

"What we heard wasn't panic, but it was grief, fatigue, and a real desire to understand," said Dr Katlego Selikane, Lead at Keready. "Teens don't need to be shielded from how they feel about what's happening around them. They need to know it's normal to feel heavy, and that asking hard questions is exactly the kind of thinking that changes things."

Keready's work is built around identity, agency and connectedness and for teens who are navigating purpose, belonging, self-worth, and agency in a country where the news doesn't always make that easy. This moment, the team says, is no exception.

Keready will continue to create space for these conversations in the weeks ahead, without minimising what young people are feeling or rushing them toward answers that aren't there yet. The Keready WhatsApp line is supported by a team that includes Dr Katlego, nurses, counsellor, communicator and social worker. Any teen who wants to talk, about this, or anything else, can reach Keready on WhatsApp: 060 019 0000.