Snapchat rolls out ‘Here For You’ in India, puts the spotlight on mental health

Snap has launched Here for You in India today. This ‘Here for You’ is an in-app feature that provides support to Snapchatters who may be dealing with a mental health or emotional crisis. It also aims to help those who want to learn more about these issues so they can help their friends.

Snapchat brings this feature to you in partnership with The Manas Foundation and Mariwala Health Initiative.

The creation of Here for You was prompted by a research done by Snap last year. According to the research, an overwhelming majority of Snapchatters experience feelings of stress and anxiety and mostly turn to their friends for support. According to Snap, Snapchatters also see their friends as the most positive force in their lives - consistent with other studies that have shown that spending time with friends can be one of the most effective ways to combat feelings of loneliness and depression.

The research also revealed that young people are also deeply interested in understanding mental health issues and how they can support friends who are struggling with them.

“At Snap, we have always been inspired by the power real friendships have in supporting health and happiness. Now more than ever, in a socially distanced world, we see friendship and connection is vital to our wellbeing. Here For You was designed to empower our community with resources to help themselves, as well as educate on how to spot signs in loved ones. It’s great to partner with Mariwala Health Initiative and the Manas Foundation to do this - organisations with a great wealth of experience and expertise in India,” said Jennifer Park Stout, VP of Global Public Policy, Snap.

How to use the Here For You feature

Here For You is available to Snapchatters in India from today. You can access resources by searching for words such as ‘anxiety’, ‘depression’, ‘loneliness’, ‘suicide’, ‘mental health’ and ‘wellbeing’.

The content that will show up for these searches covers topics such as ways to cope with mental health issues and how to spot signs in loved ones, as well as questions from the community, answered by clinical psychologists and mental health professionals.

All the information you access concludes with information on the Manas Foundation and Mariwala Health Initiative and advice on how to contact a trained counsellor directly for help.