Developing Social Media Platforms’ Mental Health Policy and Practice

As well as serving communication and relationship building functions, social media platforms have become key spaces for sharing and discussing mental health related content. However, their management of such material and responses to user distress have been widely criticised. Drawing on recent literature, this brief communication explores the key challenges platforms face in moderating mental health related content and promoting user wellbeing. It offers evidence-informed recommendations to enhance platforms’ capacity to implement meaningful, high-quality policy and practice changes, and highlights the need for clearer regulatory guidance to define their responsibilities in safeguarding users.