Health / 27 January 2026 Cutting: Why teens turn to self-harm when they don’t have words for their pain For some teenagers, emotional pain manifests as deliberately cutting, burning, hitting, biting, scratching or picking at their skin By Tanya Pampalone, Anna-Maria van Niekerk, Jessica Pitchford, Mia Malan, Yolanda Mdzeke, Thatego Mashabela, Justin Barlow and Jeannine Du Preez