YouTube Launches Mental Health and Wellbeing Section for Teenagers With Specialised Content

YouTube is introducing a new dedicated Mental Health and Wellbeing video section for teenagers. It will offer access to curated content on topics such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and eating disorders. The company has worked with various institutions with expertise in the field to set guidelines and create content for young adults. Moreover, content creators will also work on videos, in collaboration with mental health experts, to answer common questions that teenagers might have about potential mental health challenges.

YouTube Will Offer Teens Mental Health Content 'From Trusted Sources'

The video streaming platform announced that it is introducing a new dedicated section on YouTube for teenagers to look for mental health and wellbeing content. Videos on topics such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and eating disorders will appear in this new shelf of content “from trusted sources”. With this, the company aims to make it easier for teenagers to discover information that is specifically tailored to their needs.

YouTube said that it will start rolling out its new mental health tools in the coming weeks in the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, France, and Australia. The video streaming service has not revealed when this feature will arrive in India. However, it is safe to assume that it will eventually make its way to the country.

The company has also set an eligibility criterion for videos to be included in the soon-to-be-introduced dedicated mental health section. YouTube said that such content should be “evidence-based, teen-centric, and engaging”. To formulate these guidelines, the video streaming platform collaborated with different organisations “from around the world”, which have expertise in providing mental health and wellbeing information to teenagers.

YouTube worked with various organisations and mental health professionals to curate content and develop the new dedicated video shelf. Additionally, the Jed Foundation also collaborated with YouTube content creators to develop a series called ‘Mind Matters', where mental health experts have a conversation with YouTubers on topics like ADHD, anxiety, and depression. The company also partnered with the Child Mind Institute for the same.

The National Alliance for Eating Disorders has also developed videos for teenagers, which will be listed in the new Mental Health and Wellbeing section, featuring experts, researchers, and other individuals to share their lived experiences of eating disorders.