TikTok has announced a new set of features to help users struggling with their mental health and thinking of suicide.
The features include wellbeing guides and assistance for people who are coping with eating disorders and there is also a search intervention that provides users with support resources if they look up words such as ‘suicide’.
The social media platform said: “We care deeply about our community, and we always look for new ways in which we can nurture their well-being.
“That’s why we’re taking additional steps to make it easier for people to find resources when they need them on TikTok.”
The new features will be rolled out over the coming months across the world and includes an expanded guide to eating disorders and a feature that will direct users to local support if their search terms are concerning.
TikTok’s announcement comes as Instagram comes under scrutiny over the impact it has on the wellbeing of users.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the image-sharing site has repeatedly found that in certain situations that the platform could be harmful to the mental health of teenagers.
Instagram has reportedly been studying the impact of the app on younger users’ wellbeing over the past two years and found repeatedly negative impacts on teenage girls.
The platform has acknowledged the report but insists that the story “focuses on a limited set of findings and casts them in a negative light”.
Instagram said: “It demonstrates our commitment to understanding complex and difficult issues young people may struggle with, and informs all the work we do to help those experiencing these issues.”
