Anonymous school safety tip lines are providing critical insights into when young people report threats of violence and mental health concerns, according to a new study.
Led by researchers at the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention and Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, their analysis found that tips related to potential school attacks, interpersonal violence and mental health crises follow clear timing patterns—offering new opportunities for prevention and intervention.
The study analyzed about 45,000 tips made between 2019 and 2025 to North Carolina’s statewide anonymous reporting system, a tip line similar to those used by youth in at least 33 other U.S. states to submit concerns about safety, bullying, self-harm and potential violence.
By examining these categories together, researchers identified overlaps and differences in when concerns emerge, highlighting opportunities for earlier intervention and response strategies. Their findings also can provide background for resource planning and support for tip lines. The research is timely as schools across the country are increasingly implementing cell phone policies during school hours.
The study concluded “that greater tipping during times when school is in session likely corresponds to higher rates of risks that are not life-threatening but still important to address (e.g., bullying). Despite lower numbers of tips during times school is out of session, those submitted are much more likely to be life-threatening, supporting the importance of systems always being available.”
“Reporting systems empower young people to share concerns they might not otherwise report. Understanding when these tips are most likely to occur can help schools and communities respond more effectively,” said Elyse Thulin, lead author and assistant research professor at the institute and the U-M School of Public Health.
Anonymous reporting systems, also known as Technology-Facilitated Reporting Systems or TFRS, are now used in a majority of U.S. states, reflecting growing interest in prevention-focused approaches to school safety.
The analysis included tips related to potential school attacks, interpersonal violence and mental health challenges, and researchers found that reports were not evenly distributed over time. Instead, tips tended to cluster around specific periods, including during the school week, at particular times of day and even outside of school hours.
Further, while tips of all types increased each year over the course of the five-year study period, tips related to interpersonal violence increased the most.
These patterns, the researchers note, suggest that students may be more likely to observe or act on concerns in certain settings, such as during school hours or shortly after interactions with peers.
Understanding these trends could help schools and communities better allocate resources, such as staffing and crisis response teams, during higher-risk periods and inform new cell phone policies during school hours.
“Studies like this one will also allow us to evaluate new or existing school cell phone policies in tandem,” said institute co-director Marc Zimmerman, professor at the School of Public Health and co-director of U-M’s Youth Violence Prevention Center.
“Institute faculty members are working on research right now that shows an increase in restrictive policies during times of day when tips are usually submitted. In future work, we’d like to evaluate how cellphone policies influence how students use TFRS and other systems while at school to ensure students have access to resources and support without interfering with learning.”
The findings also suggest that prevention efforts could be improved by aligning response strategies with the timing of reported concerns. For example, increasing awareness of tip lines during high-use periods or ensuring rapid response capacity when reports are most likely may enhance effectiveness and timeliness.
“Being able to identify these patterns is critical for our efforts to support the safety of the school communities we serve,” said Alexandria Intorcio French, associate vice president for research and evaluation at Sandy Hook Promise Foundation. “At the end of the day, anonymous reporting is meant to provide the trusted adult support that keeps students safe. Findings like these provide insights into how we can tailor resources and capacity to better support youth mental health and well-being.”
The study, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is published in Injury Prevention. Co-authors include: Marie-Elena Bitar, Sarah Stilwell and Justin Heinze, University of Michigan; and Alex French, Sandy Hook Promise Foundation
Written by Kate Barnes, Office of the Vice President for Research
