An in-app meditation feature, digital well-being ambassadors, more safety tools and the expansion of its $2.3m (R41m) global mental health fund are TikTok’s strongest signal yet that it's taking mental health seriously.
At its inaugural Digital Well-being Summit in Johannesburg on Thursday TikTok executives, policymakers, mental health experts, NGOs and industry leaders across Sub-Saharan Africa met to discuss how the app, which reaches more than one billion users globally, is addressing online bullying, aimless scrolling, burnout and mental health challenges.
Delegates from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and beyond heard app helplines and an industry-first meditation feature for all TikTok users were among the solutions.
“We commend the private sector's efforts to foster digital literacy and create a safer online environment. Such efforts reflect the government and private sector's collective responsibility to inspire creativity, empower communities and connect young people to the digital world,” said basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube.
The guided meditation experience in Sleep Hours is automatically enabled at 10pm for all users under the age of 18. Anyone above the age can choose to turn it on. The feature, the first of its kind in the industry, was piloted in March and is available worldwide.
“People come to TikTok to learn, share their experiences and connect with communities around the world. That’s why we’re proud to introduce tools that not only support digital well-being, but also empower our community, specially young users, with a safe, supportive space to explore and navigate complex emotions,” said Valiant Richey, TikTok Global head.
The expansion of its $2.3m global Mental Health Education Fund will include organisations from Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time.
The organisations are the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative and Kenya’s Mental360. They will receive funding and platform support to develop locally relevant, evidence-based content that raises awareness, reduces stigma, and encourages open dialogue around mental health in African communities.
TikTok created the Mental Health Education Fund in 2023 to support organisations in creating authoritative, engaging and uplifting mental health content. Globally the fund has so far helped organisations gain more than 173-million impressions of their content, more than 600,000 new followers for their accounts, prompted more than 200,000 web visits and helped recruit 486 new volunteers, thanks to a combined $7.3m (R130m) in ad credit donations.
Building on a successful pilot in France and subsequent rollout across European countries, TikTok was expanding in-app helpline resources across Africa. In the coming weeks, users of some countries in Africa will have access to local helplines in-app that provide expert support when reporting content related to suicide, self-harm, hate and harassment.
“The feature builds on existing capabilities that direct users to mental health resources when they report bullying and harassment, further strengthening access to timely and relevant support on the platform. The partners can offer assistance, including counselling, advice, free psychological support and other essential services to those in need. While TikTok reviews reported content and removes violations of community guidelines, users can connect with the partner organisations to receive personal support should they need it,” said Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, director of public policy and government relations at TikTok.
As part of its ongoing partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), TikTok officially introduced its new mental health ambassadors, who are verified healthcare professionals from the WHO fides network.
They are South Africans Sanam Naran and Dr Siyamak Saleh, Dr Claire Kinuthia from Kenya and Dr Wales from Nigeria.
Naran said: “High-quality social connections are essential to our mental and physical well-being. As more of us turn to online platforms to find community, it's critical these digital interactions are safe, healthy and informed by mental health expertise. Platforms such as TikTok have a powerful role to play in helping people connect meaningfully, and by making the spaces safer and more supportive, they're protecting not only conversations, but people.”
TimesLIVE
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