TikTok Enhances Mental Health Support with Guided Meditations
TikTok is expanding its mental health initiatives with new in-app features and increased support for mental health services. The platform is introducing guided meditations designed to help users relax and improve their mental wellbeing.
The new guided meditation feature provides animated on-screen prompts to help users regulate their breathing and calm their minds. This feature integrates with TikTok's sleep prompts, encouraging users to take breaks from the app.
Meditation in Sleep Hours
TikTok is introducing "Meditation in Sleep Hours" to encourage better sleep habits. This feature will be enabled by default for users under 18. If a teen uses TikTok after 10 pm, their For You feed will be interrupted with a guided meditation exercise.
“Research shows that mindful meditation can improve sleep quality in people of all ages," says TikTok. "In our testing, 98% of the teens who meditated with TikTok decided to keep the meditation experience switched on.”
TikTok is partnering with child psychiatrist Dr. Willough Jenkins on a series showcasing the Meditation in Sleep Hours feature.
See Dr. Jenkins' TikTok video about the new feature @drwilloughjenkins
Expanding Mental Health Support
TikTok is also expanding its Mental Health Education Fund by donating $2.3 million in ad credits to 31 mental health organizations in 22 countries. These ad credits will help these organizations connect with TikTok users who may need support.
These initiatives aim to connect users with helpful resources and professional services, potentially easing concerns about the impact of social media on mental health, especially for younger users.
This comes at a time when several regions are considering stricter age restrictions on social media apps to mitigate potential mental health impacts. TikTok's proactive approach may help address these concerns.
