YouTube announced On Tuesday, the launch of a new specialist mental health and prosperity department focusing on adolescents, facilitating users of 13-17 years to find information appropriate on age on issues such as depression, anxiety, ADHD and eating disorders.
When teenagers look for terms such as “depression” in the search bar, a specific video series appears at the top of the results. According to YouTube, these videos come from reliable sources and are adapted to the development stage of adolescents. The company worked with organizations specializing in mental health and well -being of young people, such as the Child Institute.
This launch indicates a move towards YouTube a reliable resource for younger users facing mental health challenges. A 2023 investigation From the Disease Control and Prevention Centers (CDC) shows that 39.7% of students felt constant sadness and despair, while 28.5% reported poor mental health.
This is a remarkable addition to the platform, as it is important to reach adolescents where they are already looking for information, such as YouTube, with nine of 10 teenagers who say they use the platform, according to The Pew Research Center.
Over the years, YouTube has invested in various initiatives to help teenagers. These include the application of specific assurances when they recommend some issues to adolescents, using age-esteem technology to identify adolescent users for a more appropriate experience and to provide parental controls that allow parents to link their accounts to their adolescent accounts.
The new mental health and prosperity offer is circulating users in the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, France and Australia in the coming weeks.
