TikTok has launched a new mental health initiative aimed at curbing a widespread and growing issue among teenagers: doomscrolling. The term “doomscrolling” refers to the habit of endlessly scrolling through bad news or negative content, often late at night, leading to anxiety, poor sleep, and worsening mental health. With increasing pressure on tech companies to prioritize user wellbeing—especially among younger audiences—TikTok is taking a proactive step to combat this issue.
Starting this month, the app will begin showing guided meditation sessions to teenage users who are still scrolling past 10pm. This intervention is designed to gently interrupt the late-night scrolling spiral and encourage healthier sleep habits. If the user ignores the first meditation prompt, TikTok will follow up with a second, full-screen message that is harder to dismiss.
Although the feature will be available to adult users as well, it will be switched on by default for all users under the age of 18. According to TikTok, early testing of the feature showed promising results: 98% of teenagers opted to keep the meditation experience turned on.
The initiative reflects a growing awareness among social media companies about their role in the mental health of young users. It also arrives at a time when regulators are stepping up efforts to hold these platforms accountable. In the UK, new Ofcom rules set to take effect in July will require platforms to reduce harmful content exposure for minors or face heavy fines—or even bans. These rules also demand that social media apps make it easier for young users to report disturbing content and require age verification for sites that host adult or self-harm content.
TikTok’s latest move isn’t limited to just meditation. The company has also announced plans to donate ad space on its platform to mental health charities. This would give important organizations more visibility and a direct line to the millions of young people who use TikTok daily. By using its advertising infrastructure for social good, TikTok is positioning itself as a platform that’s taking real steps to support mental health awareness and prevention.
This shift comes as global concerns grow over the psychological impact of social media on teens. In Australia, lawmakers recently passed legislation banning under-16s from using social media entirely starting in December. The move is one of the strictest seen so far and signals a growing international trend of placing tighter controls on social media access for minors.
“We want our kids to have a childhood, and parents to know we have their backs,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese when announcing the upcoming social media restrictions.
TikTok is not alone in taking action. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has introduced restricted teen accounts that limit the types of content and interactions minors are exposed to. Snapchat has also made changes, including restricting the ability for adults to contact minors they are not already connected with.
These collective efforts point to a larger cultural shift. As more studies show the links between excessive screen time, doomscrolling, and youth mental health problems, both governments and corporations are stepping in to reshape how young people interact with the digital world.
TikTok’s new approach may not solve every problem, but it reflects a meaningful step in addressing a behavior that has become normalized. By confronting doomscrolling head-on and embedding mental health tools directly into the user experience, the platform is acknowledging its influence and using it to promote better habits.
As regulators, parents, and tech companies continue to grapple with how to keep teens safe online, initiatives like this signal that at least some in the industry are listening—and responding.