At Snap, the health and well-being of our community is our top priority. As young people around the world struggle with their mental health, we have both a responsibility and a meaningful opportunity to support Snapchatters by maintaining a safe space for them to communicate with their friends and giving them access to vital resources.

From the start, Snapchat was designed to help real friends communicate and have fun together without the pressure of likes and comments – avoiding the most toxic features of traditional social media that encourage social comparison and can be hard on mental health. We know connections between friends are also a critical form of support for young people dealing with mental health issues — friends are usually the first port of call when they are struggling. As a platform built for communications between real friends, that's where we are especially — and uniquely — positioned to help and can play a powerful role in preventing bullying, educating our community on how they can respond to bullying, and offering resources they can use when they or a friend are in need.

This World Mental Health Day, we are launching a suite of new bullying prevention and mental health campaigns across the globe. Through partnerships with local expert organizations, these campaigns will encourage Snapchatters to be kind to one another and provide them with local tools they can lean on if dealing with bullying or mental health struggles.

One main way we support the mental health of Snapchatters is through our in-app portal called “Here For You.” Launched in 2020, Here For You provides proactive in-app support to Snapchatters who may be experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis by surfacing resources from expert organizations to Snapchatters when they search for a range of mental health-related topics. Today, we are announcing expansions of Here For You around the globe:

• Content that raises awareness about the new 9-8-8 suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. 

• Partnered with 3114 in France on a new episode focused on raising awareness of the national suicide prevention hotline. 

• Rolling out Here for You in Germany and partnering with ich bin alles to develop custom video content that covers topics including depression, stress, and more.

• New content in the Netherlands developed with Stichting 113 Zelfmoordpreventie (Suicide Prevention) spreading awareness about their suicide hotline and MIND focusing on how to handle bullying.

• New content in partnership with headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation and ReachOut in Australia covering topics like being a good friend, tackling stress, and maintaining a healthy headspace. 

• Joining forces with Sangath to bring a suite of new content to India, covering a range of mental health topics including coping with anxiety, dealing with depression, and supporting a friend dealing with suicidal thoughts. 

• Launching Here for You in Saudi Arabia in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology providing tips for how to respond to bullying.  

• Introducing our second class of Club Unity in the U.S. and partnering with the Ad Council’s “Seize the Awkward” campaign on a national Lens and Filter that encourages Snapchatters to talk to their friends about mental health.

In addition to expanding Here For You and updating Club Unity, we are working with trusted local partners to spread awareness to our community about on-the-ground support and resources through national Filters, Lenses, and Stickers:

• In Canada, we are teaming up with Kids Help Phone to promote their mental health resources through a Lens and Filter, and encouraging Snapchatters to seek help when in need. 

• Partnered with 3114 in France on a national filter to raise awareness of the national suicide prevention hotline through a Filter. We will also be partnering with E-Enfance on a bullying prevention campaign that highlights their digital wellbeing hotline.

• In Germany, we are also working on a Lens with ich bin alles that provides tips on how to help a friend who may be struggling with their mental health. 

• In the Netherlands, we are working with 113 on a Lens to share critical resources with those who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts. 

• In Norway, we are supporting the national mental health awareness campaign, Verdensdagen for Psykisk Helse, with a Lens and Filter, and partnering with Mental Helse to promote the national mental health hotline with a Filter. 

• Partnering with PROJECT ROCKIT in Australia to help give Snapchatters tactics for responding to bullying with a Lens, Filter, and Stickers. 

We want everyone who uses Snapchat to have a safe and positive experience. As a platform designed to help real friends communicate in an authentic way, we are proud to be a tool Snapchatters can use to connect with one another and access life-saving resources in support of their mental health. We recognize there is always more to be done, and we will continue working to build upon these new tools, resources, and partnerships to support Snapchatters in need and the overall well-being of our community.