Can YouTube’s New Video Section Promote Teen Mental Health?

In Focus

• YouTube is adding a mental health and wellbeing section for teens
• The new section will feature curated content on mental health topics
• YouTube worked with expert organizations and non-profits to develop the content

Video streaming platform YouTube is adding a new section dedicated to Mental Health and Wellbeing for teenagers. According to Gadget360, YouTube’s mental health section will provide curated content on topics relating to mental health, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and ADHD.

What is YouTube’s New Mental Health Section for Teens?

The Google-owned platform said the new section will feature special video shelves with age-appropriate information relating to mental health.

YouTube’s wellbeing content for teenagers will appear when users who hold teen accounts search for mental-health related content. By setting up a dedicated section, the company is looking to make it easier for teenagers to find information that is customized to their needs.

“When seeking out age-appropriate information on common mental health and wellbeing topics, teens will now see a shelf of videos from trusted sources. Our goal is to make it easier for them to find credible information that is tailored to their developmental stage of life,” the company stated on its website, adding that the video content is “evidence-based, teen-centric, and engaging.”

Teen mental health has been a major concern for many countries. Last year, Australia banned social media for children below the age of 16. Major tech companies criticized the country for rushing the social media ban law.

The video streaming platform will start rolling out mental health content on YouTube in countries like the U.K, the U.S, Canada, France, Mexico, and Australia in the coming weeks.

New Program was Developed by Experts

YouTube worked with various mental health government organizations and non-profits to develop the new program. For instance, searches for depression will generate video resources from U.K.’s National Health Service and The Jed Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to to prevent suicide and protect emotional health.

“By working with creators who care about mental health and pairing them with experts, our series on YouTube allows us to uniquely get to the heart of important mental health topics that teens all face today in an approachable format.” The Jed Foundation CEO John A. MacPhee said.

Most teenagers use YouTube, with nine out of 10 teens saying they browse the platform regularly. This means that more teenagers interact with the platform compared to social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.

“Outside of Google, YouTube is the single biggest driver of outreach to our helpline. When teens are looking for answers, they often turn to YouTube, and YouTube helps connect them directly to us,” National Alliance for Eating Disorders CEO Johanna S. Kandel said.

Meta added teen accounts to Facebook and introduced live restrictions to Instagram as a way of safeguarding teens online in April 2025.

A Sneak Preview of YouTube’s Mental Health Section

• New section features video shelves with age-appropriate information
• Section allows teens to find custom content easily
• YouTube mental health tools will roll out in the coming weeks
• The platform has developed teen-specific content recommendation guardrails

YouTube Efforts Beyond the Video Platform

The teen mental wellbeing video platform isn’t the only step that YouTube is taking to address adolescent safety issues. YouTube introduced a new rule to prevent promotion of content relating to eating disorders. The platform introduced safeguards for blocking explicit content and offer age-appropriate recommendations to teens.

“We’ve invested specifically for teens, including working with our Youth and Families Advisory Committee to develop teen-specific guardrails on both recommendations and content,” YouTube stated on its website.

Last month, OpenAI introduced parental controls to ChatGPT in a bid to boost teen safety.

Video Platform Has Updated YouTube Design
YouTube has also updated its video design as it seeks to make the platform more engaging and intuitive. The latest design updates include:

• New icons and controls
• Threaded replies on the comment section
• Custom likes
• A revamped double-tap seek feature

YouTube says the updates have been rolled out across all platforms including mobile apps, web, and TVs.