Facebook lists steps taken to safeguard mental health of users

Acknowledging the possible ill effects of their products on mental health, Facebook is working on several tools to give people more control over what they consume online.

World Mental Health Day celebrated globally on October 10, 2020, is aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues around the world, and mobilize efforts in support of mental health. More than 6 million people in the APAC region are part of over 35,000 active Facebook groups on Mental Health dedicated to mindfulness and mental well-being.

Ahead of Mental Health Day, Facebook has introduced Emotional Health, a centralized resource centre on the Facebook app with tips and information from leading experts. The resources at the Emotional Health centralised resource centre will be available globally, with locally relevant information.

For India, Facebook has partnered with It's OK to Talk, iCALL Psychosocial Helpline (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), and Live Love Laugh Foundation to provide mental health helplines and resources catering to the local needs of users.

Also Read: Facebook launches new features for Groups

Facebook is refining its products to make them safer, to give people more control over their experience online and to support meaningful interactions with the people that matter most to them. Some highlights:

• Time Spent Tools: Users on Facebook and Instagram are being provided with the tools that allow them to view how much time they spend on the platform, set a daily reminder when they have hit the limit they have set for themselves and to mute notifications.
• Snooze and Unfollow: Snooze gives people the option to hide a person, Page or group for 30 days, without having to permanently unfollow or unfriend them. People can also unfollow people so that they remain friends but their friend’s content does not appear in their News Feed.
• News Feed quality: News Feed Ranking has been adjusted to better support meaningful social interactions rather than time spent.
• Refined Groups to help people connect: Facebook is continually refining Groups, where people can find support from other people going through similar events in their lives.
• Suicide prevention tools: Facebook is working with clinical experts to build supportive tools and has also introduced artificial intelligence to help detect suicidal posts even before they are reported.