Facebook will donate to mental health organizations if you send these new stickers
The social network aims to raise more awareness about mental health.
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Facebook will donate to mental health organizations if people use their new "Let's Talk" stickers.
Facebook wants to get you talking about mental health, and it's releasing a new face filter and stickers to make speaking up easier.
On Thursday, the social network introduced a new "Let's Talk" filter for Facebook and Messenger Stories, a feature that lets you posts photos and videos that vanish in 24 hours. The company also rolled out a new pack of 16 colorful stickers for Messenger that display words such as "talk to me," "listening" and "Mental Health Matters."
Facebook is releasing a new filter and stickers in honor of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10.
Facebook said that every time a user sends one of these new stickers, it will donate $1 to a group of 10 mental health organizations. The company will make donations up to $1 million. Some of the groups the social network will contribute to include The Trevor Project, Save.org and the Crisis Text Line.
The use of social media sites such as Facebook has been linked to depression, lower self-esteem and other mental health issues as users compare their lives with others. But Facebook has also been rolling out new tools to combat these issues, such as suicide prevention tools and experimenting with hiding likes.
The idea for the new stickers and filters is tied to research commissioned by the social network showing how private messaging can make it easier to chat about tough topics, Antigone Davis, the head of global safety for Facebook, said in an interview. People in the UK, US and Australia who were surveyed said they felt like they could talk more openly through messaging than in person.
"If we open up even just a few conversations around the issue of mental health, we will see that as a success," Davis said.
Facebook released the new tools in honor of World Mental Health Day, which happens every year on Oct. 10 to raise awareness about mental health. The World Health Organization helped Facebook with the new filter and is encouraging people to take "40 seconds of action" to talk about mental health and help reduce the stigma surrounding suicide. One person dies every 40 seconds from suicide, according to WHO.
If you're in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.