May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and marking the event, TikTok has announced a range of live stream events and in-app activations to help users find relevant support and assistance, and further de-stigmatize mental health conversations.
TikTok says that it will share a range of content under the main hashtags #MentalHealthAwareness, #SelfCare and #LetsTalkMentalHealth, which users will be able to follow to find helpful content related to different mental health-related concerns and discussions.
TikTok’s also running live programming throughout the month, including:
- A LIVE discussion on how to set boundaries with your parents, led by psychotherapist Dr. Courtney Tracy and hosted by Cosmopolitan on May 10th at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
- A ‘Get Ready with Me’ mental health check-in with Leyna Bloom and Olivia Ponton, hosted by Sports Illustrated on May 19th at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
- A broadcast of the 4th Annual Sound Mind Live Music Festival for Mental Health on May 21st at 4pm ET / 1pm PT. The concert will feature performances by KAMAUU, Wrabel, Allison Russell, The Cold War Kids, Big Boi, and American Authors, with proceeds supporting free mental health programs offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
- A LIVE musical performance by YUNGBLUD, followed by a mental health discussion with the artist on May 23rd at 5pm ET / 2 pm PT.
TikTok will also look to highlight several nonprofits that are working to build a more inclusive future throughout the app, including the Born This Way Foundation, Crisis Text Line, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Eating Disorders Association.
Finally, TikTok also has a range of helpful guides to help users deal with specific mental health concerns, including its Well-Being Guide, which provides tips for those who want to ‘mindfully share their journeys’, and its Eating Disorder Guide, designed to help people struggling with eating or body image concerns.
This is a key area of focus for social media platforms, because as was once again highlighted last year, as part of the Facebook Files leak, various studies have shown that social media usage can have significant mental health impacts, especially on younger users.
As such, it’s important that the platforms themselves look to minimize harm, and support users in need where possible.
TikTok specifically has come under fire in the past over its potentially harmful moderation practices, while various concerns have been raised in regards to how it encourages harmful and exploitative behavior among young users.
As such, initiatives like these are important, and it’s good to see TikTok working to highlight its various support services and tools.
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