Singapore – October is the World Mental Health Awareness Month, and in line with this, TikTok has launched a ‘Singapore Wellness Hub’ which will serve as an evergreen repository of mental health resources and wellness content contributed by non-profit partners and TikTok creators.
TikTok has been active in spearheading conversations around mental health and emotional well-being, and last September, it has also launched a livestream series on the topic, which is considered as an anchor of the initiatives it had in May which is also celebrated as a mental health month.
The current hub, aligned with the national effort by the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Wellbeing in Singapore, seeks to strengthen the ability of vulnerable users to cope with anxiety and uncertainty, promote help-seeking behavior and drive greater awareness and education amongst our local community.
The new Hub, which will be launched on 15 October, will be providing connection to tips and resources on taking care of one’s self mentally.
Under ‘Wellness Matters’, users can learn and practice grounding techniques, from safe space visualization, breathing exercises to body awareness techniques, by following step-by-step short-form videos created by non-profit partners such as CARE Singapore, INSIGHT Care Corner, Limitless, and TOUCH Community Services.
Under ‘Stories’, users can draw strength from peers who have boldly shared their personal lived experiences and recovery journeys, while ‘Under ‘Support Helplines’, users can reach out directly to various non-profit organizations who are also TikTok wellness content creators – be it crisis and suicide prevention hotline by Samaritans of Singapore, free online counseling or peer support programs.
Teresa Tan, head of public policy at TikTok Southeast Asia and Singapore, said, “TikTok has become a home for wellbeing conversations that have taught us mindfulness, raised awareness on mental health, and created a much-needed sense of community over the past year.”
She adds, “With the Singapore Wellness Hub, we have brought mental health support even closer and more accessible to our users. They now have a one-stop hub where they can seek support firsthand from peers who are on their own mental health recovery journeys or professionals who offer counseling services. We welcome anyone to this safe space to share their stories, fight the stigma, educate the community, and advocate for others right here on TikTok.”
The Hub is the latest in TikTok for Good’s broader efforts to create an online safe space for users to express their vulnerabilities freely, and find communities of support and destigmatize mental health conversations. It can be accessed through in-app on TikTok.
In line with the celebration of World Mental Health Month, TikTok has also launched the Be Kind To Your Mind LIVE series from 4 to 15 October. Kicking off from 4 to 8 October, TikTok creators have gone live to share their experiences with coping methods that work; from journalling, stamp art, music to tea and food.
Meanwhile, for the first time, from the dates of 11 to 15 October, TikTok creators will be bringing their parents, grandparents, siblings, best friends, and students together on LIVE to spark intergenerational conversations on mental health. To join TikTok LIVE, users can tap the ‘Be Kind To Your Mind’ banner on TikTok’s Discover page.
The finale on 15 October, ‘All The Things We Talk About’ will be Kicking off with musical performances by wellness duo Deniece and Jade. The finale panel will unpack how to talk about mental health as a family, address the issue of trust between parent and child and discuss how to overcome the stigma of seeking support from a trusted adult.
It will be hosted by TikTok creator and artiste Xenia Tan, and the panel will feature Desmond Tan, Minister of State for Home Affairs & Sustainability and the Environment, and his daughter, Kyra Tan; Nurul Aini, local actress and her daughter Shaista Eman; and TikTok creator Ng Ming Wei and his father Cedric Ng.