Pinterest Supports Mental Health Awareness Month

Credit: Pinterest

As Pinterest continues to focus on inspiration and building a positive corner of the internet, this May, it is supporting emotional well-being with a continued and deepened focus on mental health for Pinners and Pinployees. Partnerships with Bebe Rexha, #HalfTheStory and mental health advocates will encourage inspiration and positivity through shared personal stories of perseverance and resilience.

The pandemic has brought mental health to the foreground. A recent survey conducted by the CDC found 42% of respondents reported anxiety or depression symptoms. We know that Pinners are 20% more likely than the rest of the population to have mental and emotional well-being top of mind during COVID-19, and beyond the pandemic, these numbers are expected to increase. Overall, searches for mental health awareness month are 2.5 times greater this year than last, and as we come out of a challenging year, Pinners seem to be prioritizing their mental health now more than ever.

Searches for the following mental health and well-being topics have increased.

• Mental health tattoos (13 times)
• Mental well-being quotes (11 times)
• Yoga meditation space (eight times)
• Mental glow up (3.5 times)
• Mental health challenge (2.7 times)

To solidify its commitment in support of long-term efforts that focus on mental and emotional well-being, Pinterest will commit $10 million in the next 12 months to fund organizations that are increasing awareness of mental health and well-being challenges, advancing innovations in the field and explicitly tackling racial and other disparities in access. This is the first step in a multi-year philanthropic commitment to emotional well-being by Pinterest, with the intention of becoming one of the biggest funders of the issue in the U.S.

“Pinterest’s identity is anchored on being a place for people to be inspired — and our ability to give philanthropically significantly expands the ways in which we can support inspiration and well-being in the world, driven by the belief that to live a life you love, you need to have a self you love,” said Ari Simon, head of social impact and philanthropy at Pinterest. “But that same impulse also requires us to step up in this moment, given the mental health crisis exacerbated by COVID-19 and the disparities across communities that the pandemic has laid bare. For that reason, we have made emotional well-being our core philanthropic focus, with well over half of our planned grantmaking in the coming year dedicated to the topic.”

To further generate awareness, content on the Today Tab will focus on mental health and the Pinterest logo will turn green — Mental Health Awareness Month’s official color — on its social media accounts for the month of May. And as always, if someone is searching for suicide and self-harm related terms, the company will direct them to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Additionally, Pinterest offers a variety of emotional well-being activities developed by emotional health experts that Pinners can do right from the Pinterest app. The prompt to explore these resources appears when people search for things like “stress quotes,” “work anxiety” or other terms that indicate they might be feeling down.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, Pinterest is partnering with #HalfTheStory, a nonprofit on a mission to empower the next generation’s relationship with technology through advocacy, education and research. #HalfTheStory celebrates hidden human talents, passions, beliefs and struggles that connect us on a deeper level. Pinterest will donate ad credits to #HalfTheStory to encourage others to learn more about the organization, raise funds for its teen-focused curriculum Social Media U and drive Pinners to useful resources, including how to manage screen time and how to empower safe advocacy online.

"Pinterest's dedication to digital wellness and social media responsibility is fundamental to elevate #HalfTheStory's mission to empower healthy tech usage. Our collaborative campaign seeks to inspire moments of digital wellness through conscious content and democratize tools for healthy tech consumption and effective advocacy. All of the funds raised from this campaign support Social Media U, a five-week science-backed curriculum to empower healthy relationships with technology from the start for teens," said Larissa May, founder and executive director at #HalfTheStory.

Pinterest has partnered with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha during Mental Health Awareness Month to bring awareness and start an open conversation around mental health.

To celebrate the partnership, Bebe will be creating exclusive content for Pinterest including Story Pins that discuss her mental health journey and how it inspired her most recent album which will be released on May 7. Her content will be part of the Pinterest Mental Health Group Board that will include contributions from Pinterest Creators, experts and advocates like Dr. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University; Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; and Nory Pouncil, self-trust coach. When Pinners search for #MentalHealth they will be led to the Pinterest Mental Health Board. Bebe is also calling on the Pinterest community to create and share Story Pins of their personal journeys to help destigmatize mental health and shed a light on the struggles we are all facing in order to find ways of working through them together. She will also participate in a live event on Pinterest's Instagram channel on May 27 to discuss the science of well-being with Dr. Marc Brackett.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Pinterest for Mental Health Awareness Month. Advocating for mental health and generating awareness around it is something that is close to my heart,” said Bebe Rexha, Pinterest creator and recording artist. “Pinterest has always been a place where people can find positive inspiration, and for me, sharing those positive spaces and encouraging my followers to practice self-love is more important than ever before.”

To support Pinployees as we continue to navigate this difficult year, Pinterest is closing its offices worldwide May 28 through June 1 so they can take time to disconnect and be intentional about self-care. In May, Pinterest will also feature programming focused on emotional well-being and showcase Story Pins created by Pinployees to inspire all members of the Pinterest community with positive ways to prioritize mental health every day.

Editor's Note: This press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO and its staff.