2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. Lockdowns and being separated from our loved ones, as well as the upheaval of our normal routines, have had a lasting impact on the mental wellbeing of so many.

Over the past few months, more and more people have been turning to TikTok to share their stories about #mentalhealth and #wellbeing. Thanks to our fantastic community of creators, we've been able to laugh, cry, connect and support one another through these difficult times. 

From Dr Julie helping us to cope with stress and keep motivated in lockdown to Dr Emeka teaching us about the chemicals for happiness, and even @t0nit0ne who has helped us learn to love our own company and celebrate the small things, our fantastic creator community has widened the conversation about mental wellbeing throughout the app. 

It's a trend that's growing organically in-app, with almost 3billion views of #mentalhealth, 

more than 34million views of #wellbeing and over 530million views of #wellness.

It's clear our community wants more. More conversation, more awareness and more support for this important topic. And, with uncertain times ahead, it makes this World Mental Health Day more important than ever. 

That's why at TikTok, we have commited to this World Mental Health Day being the biggest and best yet. 

We are excited to be working with the World Health Organization  (@who) the World Federation for Mental Health and United for Global Mental Health (@unitedgmh) who have joined forces to launch the #MoveForMentalHealth challenge, to help kickstart a bigger conversation about the importance of investing in mental health on TikTok. 

Here's what's coming up that you can get involved in....

Join in and #MoveForMentalHealth on World Mental Health Day 2020

Help us to raise awareness for mental wellbeing and show us how you #MoveForMentalHealth. From dancing in the kitchen, to a yoga-filled lunch break or a brisk countryside walk this World Mental Health Day, let's all #MoveForMentalHealth.

Tune into the World Health Organisation's "Big Event for Mental Health" 

In an exciting first, the World Health Organization's "Big Event for Mental Health" will be livestreamed on TikTok on 10 October.  Tune in from 4pm CEST and support the cause! 

Join a TikTok LIVE stream and be part of a discussion about Mental Health within our community

Join our Creator Wellbeing panel discussion on Friday at 6pm with clinical psychologist @DrJulieSmith as she talks all things mental health; from intersectionality to finding a unique community on TikTok, with fellow creators @Zach_Clean, @maxselwoood, @itslilyrose. 

On Saturday join the Mental Health in the Black Community panel as part of our Black History series of TikTok LIVES. In this conversation, guests will unpack mental health within the black community, addressing the stigma and sharing their thoughts on balancing daily life using therapeutic tools. Featuring Patrick Vernon OBE, journalist & social commentator; and Vas Morgan, TV Personality & journalist and June Sarpong OBE, journalist, presenter and BBC's Director of Creative Diversity.  


Dévora Kestel, Director of the Mental Health and Substance Use Department at the World Health Organization said: “At WHO, we are delighted to see the commitment of TikTok to encouraging conversations and movement on mental health. Mobilisation on a global scale can help drive the decisions that ultimately will lead to better mental health services when and where we need them.”

Elisha London, United for global Mental Health's CEO and Founder, said: "Globally there is not enough movement on mental health, despite the fact that close to one billion people across the world have a mental disorder. Having faced years of chronic underinvestment, this World Mental Health Day we are coming together to #MoveForMentalHealth with TikTok's support because now more than ever it's time to invest so that everyone, everywhere has someone to turn to."

Rich Waterworth, UK General Manager at TikTok, said: "2020 has been a challenging year for so many of us. Lockdowns and being separated from our loved ones, as well as the upheaval of our normal routines, have had a lasting impact on the mental wellbeing of so many of us. And with uncertain times ahead, it makes this World Mental Health Day more important than ever. At TikTok we're proud to be working together with the World Health Organisation, the World Federation for Mental Health and United for Global Mental Health to help kick-start a conversation about mental health in our community. This World Mental Health Day will be the biggest yet on TikTok, and we hope our community of creators join us to raise awareness of this all important cause."

This work builds on TikTok's commitment to support the wellbeing of its community, which includes nurturing a safe space for authentic and creative expression and developing tools in-app to support and promote the safety and mental wellbeing of users.

To date, TikTok has taken a number of steps to do this, including:

  • Launching Screen Time Management tools, supporting the digital wellbeing of the community
  • Introducing Restricted Mode, which allows users to limit the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences
  • Developing the Filter Comments tool that allows users to make custom lists of keywords that will be automatically blocked from any comments on their videos.
  • Introducing Family Pairing, which allows parents and teens to customise their safety settings based on individual needs
  • Removing direct messaging for users under the age of 16
  • Joining the European Commission's Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online
  • Supporting research into the experiences of young Londoners in lockdown with Partnership for Young London and Good Thinking, which surveyed a group of 14-24-year-olds over the course of the past six months keeping track of their mental wellbeing.
  • Partnering with the charity Mind to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week with #SpeakYourMind, encouraging creators to share virtual pick-me-ups to friends and loved ones
  • Banning ads for fasting apps and weight loss supplements, and increasing restrictions on ads that promote a harmful or negative body image

Together we can kick-start a bigger conversation about mental wellbeing in our community. So join us this World Mental Health Day and #MoveForMentalHealth! Head to the TikTok safety center for more information on TikTok safety and digital wellbeing. 

New to TikTok and fancy tuning in? Getting involved couldn't be easier, simply download the app for free via the Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon.