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TikTok on Tuesday announced a series of features designed to help users with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.
These include wellness guides, a support guide for those with eating disorders, and a search intervention feature that will direct users to support resources when searching for phrases such as #suicide.
TikTok’s announcement of the new features followed a Wall Street Journal report that said Facebook has repeatedly found that its Instagram app can be detrimental to the mental health of teens in certain situations.
The two apps are in close competition for teen care. Since its launch in 2017, China-owned TikTok has gained ground on Instagram. Last year it surpassed Instagram as the second favorite social networking app for U.S. teens after Snapchat, according to an October 2020 report by Piper Sandler.
TikTok’s new features will guide users to support, such as a crisis text line, if they search for the term “suicide.”
While TikTok’s new features can be scheduled for National Suicide Prevention Week, which was last week, the timing is fortuitous. Following the Journal’s report, U.S. lawmakers harshly criticized Facebook for the impact of social media on teen mental health and the company’s failure to address the issues.