Snapchat launching tools and content to help users with mental health and wellness

Image: AFP/Lionel Bonaventure via AFP Relaxnews

Axios reported today that Snapchat will be launching a set of mental health and wellness resources that can be accessed directly through the application. A beta version of the first tool created as part of this push will launch today.

The feature is called “Here For You” and is a mechanism integrated into the app’s search tool. According to Axios, the feature works by “surfac[ing] a special section” consisting of proactive resources from experts and content related to depression, suicide, and anxiety when a user searches certain words implying that they could be struggling with their mental health.

A show dedicated to helping people cope with anxiety called “Chill Pill”, for example, would appear as a result when a user searches the term “anxiety.”

Snapchat is certainly not the first social media platform targeting mental health and wellness on their platform. Last summer, Pinterest launched a series of emotional wellness activities that people can access if they search certain related keywords. Instagram, too, has been combating bullying for years to make the platform a safer space for users.

As for Snapchat, Axios states that “Here For You” is just the first tool of many surrounding mental health and wellness expected to roll out later this year. IB/NVG

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