TikTok has announced a range of initiatives for Mental Health Awareness Month, including new in-app support resources, additional training for partner organizations, and ad credits to boost exposure for support tools in the app. What really pulls the heartstrings with TikTok is how it seemingly has something for each calendar holiday, known or otherwise.
Mentally Well on TikTok
To start, TikTok is launching a new #MentalHealthAwareness hub to provide more direct info and assistance to users in the app. The new in-app hub will provide insights into a range of health and well-being topics, along with a direct connection to support organizations and other resources.
According to TikTok:
“To access the hub, go to the #MentalHealthAwareness hashtag page and tap on the link in the description of the hub to explore. It will be continually updated throughout May to highlight new educational and inspiring videos, mental health and wellness-centered creators, and organizations dedicated to raising awareness about mental health.”
Direct, in-app access could really help elevate those in need – and with studies showing that TikTok itself can impact users’ mental health, having those resources available in-app could be a big benefit.
TikTok’s also launching a new ‘Mental Health Media Education Fund’ to help effectively bolster mental health support messaging, while it’s also donating over $2 million in ad credits to organizations working on well-being, including the Crisis Text Line, The National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Disorder Association. The extra support will help organizations like these boost their messaging in the biggest social app of the moment among vulnerable youth. That could be a big benefit in reaching people in need when they need it.
TikTok is also hosting a series of training sessions to equip these partner organizations with tools to help boost their in-app messaging. Mental Health is a key focus for all Social Media apps, but for TikTok in particular, given that it primarily appeals to younger audiences. TikTok can arguably have an even bigger impact on broader perceptions and attitudes toward such conditions.
The Wrap
However, as noted, TikTok has built up a reputation of taking users down dark rabbit holes, by showing them content related to certain topics that can worsen mental health. Of course, TikTok’s working to address this, but there are concerns, as there are with any social app. Again, TikTok is well aware of the risk associated with its core offerings and has been working for years to improve its processes.
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