Independent Evaluation by the Anna Freud Centre finds that using the Tellmi app improves mental health in young people.
Being able to talk about difficult things anonymously on the Tellmi app helps young people to feel less alone and learn new ways to help themselves, according to a new study. The Anna Freud Centre study tracked 876 young people’s experiences of Tellmi, a fully-moderated, peer support tool. The results of the study showed that they felt better when they used the Tellmi app and it helped them to support others on and offline.
Using Tellmi helped users to normalise mental health difficulties and reach out for help when needed, without fear of judgement.
Of the 559 young people who took part in a questionnaire at the end of the evaluation:
82% agreed that Tellmi connects them to other people with similar problems
79% feel less alone when they use the app
78% believe it is easier to talk about difficult things anonymously on the Tellmi app
72% of young people feel better when they use Tellmi
71% found new ways to help themselves
During the COVID-19 crisis, young people reported low levels of social wellbeing, due to isolation from friends and family. However, 79% agreed that the Tellmi community helped them to feel less alone, suggesting Tellmi provides a valuable source of social connectedness.
Every month, 6,000 young people aged 11 - 25 use Tellmi to talk about difficult things with other people of a similar age or experience. All posts and replies are checked by moderators before they go live, and in-house counsellors provide extra support in the app for high risk posts, when needed.
The study aimed to gather evidence on the impact of digital peer support and to understand why and how it helps young people. The Tellmi app is part of a service available to the NHS and local authorities to provide early intervention and prevention support at scale, allowing young people to help themselves, by helping each other.
Dr Kerstyn Comley, Co-Founder of the Tellmi mental health service for young people, said:
“One in six young people have a mental health problem and according to the NHS, 1.5 million children and teenagers need new or additional support for their mental health over the next three to five years. Our scalable, early intervention solution should be part of the NHS mental health recovery plan to support young people with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self harm, and other issues that are at crisis point.
“This study shows that the Tellmi app helps young people to feel better, more connected, and less alone, and gives them the confidence to help others on and offline.”
Professor Julian Edbrooke-Childs, Head of Evaluation at the Anna Freud Centre, says:
“Evidence on the impact of the pandemic on children and young people’s mental health has already emerged around the world, including increases in rates of stress, anxiety and depression. When it comes to supporting them, accessible and evidence-based approaches are vital. We are therefore pleased to have worked with Tellmi to assess the impact and outcomes of the app, building understanding of how we can best support children and young people’s mental health.”
Tellmi app users and study participants:
“I think it's a really good app to use, because sometimes you can't talk to your friends or family about it… I like the anonymous aspect of it. And I like the fact that you can put literally anything, and someone will always reply to you with something useful.”
“It’s allowed me to not judge people straight away, I think. It’s allowed me to be more open to hearing what people have to say and asking them why. I check on my friends a bit more now just to make sure that if they need to talk to me, if they need to talk about anything I’m here.”
The study consisted of interviews with 10 young users, analysis of routinely collected activity data and experience, and questionnaires of 876 young people.
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