YouTube is rolling out some new prompts to assist teen users with mental health-related concerns, along with custom content, created by teen mental health experts, that will be displayed with queries related to mental health.
As you can see in these examples, along with a prompt to connect teens to assistance on related searches, YouTube will also now show a series of videos provided by official sources related to their query.
As explained by YouTube:
“When seeking out age-appropriate information on common mental health and wellbeing topics like depression, anxiety, ADHD, and eating disorders, teens will now see a shelf of videos from trusted sources. Our goal is to make it easier for them to find credible information that is tailored to their developmental stage of life.”
The videos will include more in-depth information to assist teens dealing with mental health challenges, and will also refer them to further resources beyond the platform as well.
YouTube says that it’s worked with various health organizations from around the world who specialize in providing mental health and wellbeing information for teens to produce these videos.
- The National Alliance for Eating Disordershas developed content featuring leading experts, researchers, and individuals with lived experience to address common questions like, “What do you say when you think someone may be struggling with an eating disorder?”
- The Jed Foundation worked with leading YouTube creators to develop a series called ‘Mind Matters’ where experts sit down with creators to talk about topics like ADHD, anxiety and depression.
- The Child Mind Institutehas been dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families experiencing mental health, and is another one of our partners in this endeavor.
The new videos will provide more in-depth, and ideally beneficial guidance based on this collective expertise, which will help young users in dealing with such.
It’s another step towards ensuring teens have access to the assistance that they need, and are able to find relevant resources in times of crisis. And with so many teens using YouTube, it could be a significant addition, which may end up helping many young users.
YouTube says that the new measures are being rolled out to users in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico, France, and Australia, over the coming weeks.
