Promoting Mental Well-being on TikTok

At TikTok, we believe in celebrating moments that bring joy to our global community. This joy can come from therapeutic and heartwarming content, such as guided meditations or family yoga videos. It can also stem from the realization that you are not alone in your feelings and challenges, as others share and empathize with what you're going through. Our goal is to create a safe and welcoming platform where people feel supported, regardless of where they are in their mental health journeys.

To better understand our community's feelings and mental health journeys, we conducted a global survey in partnership with market research firm YouGov. The survey aimed to explore cross-generational attitudes towards well-being, including comfort levels in discussing these issues with family, friends, and others. The results were encouraging, with nearly 9 in 10 respondents believing that their mental well-being is as important or even more important than their physical well-being. This affirms our commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment for our community to share their mental health experiences.

We also wanted to understand the support people seek when sharing their experiences online and how our community discusses difficult topics and struggles. The research revealed that 8 in 10 US adults feel comfortable talking about their mental well-being. However, this comfort level decreases with each successive generation, with individuals aged 18-24 reporting the highest levels of discomfort. In fact, almost half of 18-24-year-olds in the US believe that their friends and family would judge them if they talked about their mental well-being, which is 12 points higher than the average American. We believe that destigmatizing discussions around mental well-being, especially among younger generations, is crucial in reducing these fears of judgment.

Interestingly, while approaching these conversations may seem daunting, respondents expressed comfort in listening to others speak about their own mental health. Nearly half of the survey participants feel comfortable listening to conversations about mental well-being. We witness on our platform how a thoughtful video or check-in from even a stranger can be transformative for others. Creators sharing their own struggles through videos may help the TikTok community feel seen and encourage meaningful conversations.

To further nurture empathy and understanding on TikTok, we have collaborated with mental health experts to empower our community's favorite creators to produce responsible content on mental well-being. These creators have learned how to discuss sensitive issues like grief and eating disorder recovery, aiming to build a better understanding of creating content on such topics. Our hope is that as our community listens to these conversations and develops a vocabulary and understanding of mental health, they will feel more comfortable discussing it in their own lives.

Another way we are working to destigmatize discussions on mental well-being is by supporting empathetic conversations around it. We recently launched a global campaign called "Mental Well-Being Comes First," which raises awareness about the importance of mental well-being through dedicated in-app programming, including live sessions, effects, and stickers. Our aim is to maintain a supportive environment for individuals who choose to share their well-being experiences. For those who want to learn more, we have introduced themed hashtags to foster conversation and understanding, such as #MentalHealth for heartfelt discussions, #SelfCare for tips on prioritizing actions that bring peace, #StressRelief for relaxation assistance, #HealingJourney for candid conversations on various healing methods, and #WeDoRecover for encouraging stories of perseverance through difficult times.

We strive to navigate the complexity of supporting our community's well-being on our platform with nuance. Our approach involves removing harmful content and connecting people to resources. Our Community Guidelines strictly prohibit content that depicts, promotes, or normalizes activities that could lead to suicide, self-harm, or disordered eating.

The survey we conducted revealed that one-quarter of respondents would feel more comfortable discussing their mental well-being if they had access to well-being tools and resources from online platforms. Additionally, people value access to reliable information from experts and organizations, with two-thirds of respondents citing doctors and mental health professionals as their top sources for help. With this knowledge, we have developed resources available throughout our app that direct people to local experts or support as they engage with mental well-being content.

We are constantly seeking ways to better understand and support our TikTok community. While we are excited about the steps we have taken to promote mental well-being, our efforts do not stop here. We will continue to explore how to foster fruitful conversations and provide our community with the necessary resources to thrive both on and off our platform.