Seeking to reach more teens with TikTok grant
The L.A. Trust will pilot the TikTok Challenge with the Carson High School SAB.
The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health was recently awarded a six-month, $21,000 grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the Community Ambassador Network (CAN) Youth program to help reach students on the TikTok social media platform who may be suffering from emotional or mental distress. In late 2021, TikTok rolled out new resources to support the well-being of its hundreds of millions of users, most of whom are teens and young adults. The resources include in-app videos that address “youth signs of struggling” and “youth steps to create a connection,” with an aim toward helping people who are dealing with mental health issues.
The CAN Youth Program TikTok Grant will be used by The L.A. Trust’s Student Advisory Boards (SAB) to spearhead a TikTok Challenge aimed at increasing mental health awareness and promotion among Los Angeles County youth. The L.A. Trust will pilot the TikTok Challenge with the Carson High School SAB.
“This is another great opportunity to engage our Student Advisory Boards and get our youth involved in creating a positive, healthy impact in their schools and their communities,” said Maryjane Puffer, executive director at The L.A. Trust. “The creativity of our students knows no bounds and we look forward to creating exciting new content - for students, by students.”
The L.A. Trust Student Advisory Boards are led by volunteer student health advocates who can hone their leadership skills by mentoring and training their peers. This social media investment aims to help educate teens on mental illness by developing and vetting a compilation of approved video messages for wellness, “how to help a friend;” “where to find support;” “you are not alone;” and “the teen line.”
Silent epidemic of mental illness
The mental health and well-being of students has gained greater urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Youth data from Mental Health America found that 60% of youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment. Youth experiencing mental health episodes continue to go untreated. Twenty-one percent of youth aged 13 to 18 live with mental illness severe enough to cause significant impairment in their daily lives. Three out of four children with mental health needs in California do not receive treatment.
Why TikTok
The pandemic has shown just how effective TikTok can be when trying to reach youth. Powered by a highly personalized content recommendation system, the TikTok video platform has broken download records, quickly becoming the go-to app for connecting with teenagers. Recently, TikTok rolled out some new restrictions on DMs for teens to make sure the app is safe and available for every age. The platform also gives teenagers a place to learn more about anxiety, sexuality, depression, and relationship abuse.
We at The L.A. Trust welcome the opportunity to incorporate a new creative channel to further reach our youth and help them communicate with each other on such an important topic as mental health. Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming TikTok campaigns.