The move is meant to protect the particularly young and malleable users of Snapchat—90% of all 13- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. use the service (which Snap readily points out is more than Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger combined). “Sometimes people come in and search for this kind of content, be it anxiety or depression,” says Jen Stout, vice president of global policy at Snap. “Instead of being served up maybe nothing, or meme accounts, or something like that, we’re looking for a healthy alternative to provide young people with tools that would be readily available in the app.”
Snap declined to share any metrics on how often users were searching such topics, but the company-conducted user research that found its users commonly experience feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety. Here For You is meant to be a resource, baked right into the app, that can answer questions about these problems.
Via: https://www.fastcompany.com/90461846/snapchat-introduces-new-interventions-for-mental-health