Snapchat Takes Users Mental Health Seriously

Social media is both boon and a bane; it can have good and bad impacts on us. At present, due to pandemic, we are stuck at home, social media is playing a significant role in not just helping us to connect with friends and family members but also keeping us mentally healthy. Snapchat is one of the platforms that considers the mental health of its users very seriously.

Snapchat discovered that users find it comfortable to open up to their closest friends and consider them as an incredibly positive force in their lives. "We found that spending time with friends, whether in person or online, is one of the best defences against feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression," Jacob Andreou, VP Product at Snap.

In April 2020, snaps shared between friends touched an all-time high, video call usage increased by 50 per cent, and rise in engaged Snap Games, which are played along with friends. "Many users also expressed the desire to understand these issues better to support friends who may be struggling," Andreou further added.

Andreou believes that one of the best ways to combat rising mental health issues is to maintain daily social interactions. "Snapchat is allowing people to do just that and helping close friends and family stay together emotionally, while they are separated physically," Andreou said.

Partnership with Headspace is the latest measure taken by Snapchat in its mental health campaign. At the Snap's partner summit Snap launched Snap Minis a few months ago. Minis allow developers to bring bite-sized experiences into Snapchat. A few weeks ago, the first Minis launched were in partnership with Headspace, a well known global leader in meditation and mindfulness.

Through the Headspace Mini, Snapchatters can access guided meditations and mindfulness practices, be able to do exercises with friends or use new tools to send encouraging messages to positively boost friends who are in need, directly within the Snapchat app.

Last month, Snapchat announced the launch of the "Here For You" in India in partnership with the Mariwala Health Initiative and the Manas Foundation. "These two expert organisations worked closely with our team to create resources that cover topics such as: how to cope when you're struggling with overwhelming emotions, how to spot signs of depression in loved ones and also a range of questions answered by clinical psychologists and mental health professionals," Andreou said.

Each video ends with more information on the services the partner can provide, and ways to contact a trained counsellor for help directly. The resources are offered to Snapchat users in India when they search for words like anxiety, depression, loneliness, suicide, mental health and wellbeing.

Andreou said, "We built Snapchat differently – without likes, shares or comments – so people feel free to be themselves. Our platform is a way to communicate with close friends, and with that in mind, our strategy hasn't changed when it comes to our approach to mental health."

Andreou also claimed that Snapchat sees a strong business and user growth in India. "People have embraced our product, and it's exciting to see that. We remain focused on creating culturally and locally relevant experiences for our community in India through product developments, creative tools, community engagement and partnerships," Andreou said.