Texting option weighed for upcoming ‘988’ US suicide hotline

As many Americans prefer texting, rather than phone calls, the US communications regulator will weigh whether to require phone companies to let people text a suicide hotline. Crisis counselors began responding to texts sent to the Lifeline last August, the FCC said, and on April 22, 2021, the agency voted unanimously to start a process that could also require phone companies to let people text 988. — AP

Recognising that many Americans rely on texting, US regulators are weighing whether to require that phone companies allow people to text a suicide hotline.

The US Federal Communications Commission last summer voted to require a new "988” number for people to call to reach a suicide-prevention hotline. Phone companies have until July 2022 to implement it.