SNAPCHAT LAUNCHES ‘HERE FOR YOU’ MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE

The conversation surrounding mental health and the impact that social media is having on young people continues to be as topical as ever, and now, Snapchat has introduced a new feature, Here For You, to address this. When users type words in Snapchat’s search bar that might suggest that they need support with health and wellness-related issues e.g. “anxiety”, “thinspiration” etc., the feature will offer advice in the form of links from mental health experts and content on Snapchat which is designed to help users cope with mental health problems.

Although 90% of Snapchat users are between the ages of 13 and 24, it remains to be seen whether these users will want to get advice on their mental health from Snapchat, but it may actually work to educate young people without them even realising it (because we all know we’re less likely to do something if we’re being told).

With the likes of Twitter and Instagram also taking steps to make their platforms safer spaces, social platforms are seemingly trying to negate the harmful effects that social media usage can have, particularly on young people. Let’s hope that other platforms follow Snapchat’s lead and that Here For You is the start of a trend of platforms acknowledging their responsibility in terms of mental health and introducing meaningful features.