On a bright Tuesday morning in downtown Vancouver, I’m sitting in a bustling café watching a teenager scroll through YouTube. Sixteen-year-old Maya Chen isn’t looking for music videos or gaming content—she’s searching for answers about anxiety.
“Sometimes it’s easier to ask YouTube than to ask your parents,” Maya tells me, her voice barely audible above the coffee grinder. “It feels more private, even though it’s literally the biggest platform in the world.”
Maya represents millions of Canadian teens who turn to digital platforms for mental health information. Recognizing this reality, YouTube Canada has just launched a dedicated mental health resources hub specifically designed for teens—a first-of-its-kind initiative that could reshape how young Canadians access mental health support.
The new digital shelf, developed in partnership with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Kids Help Phone, features carefully curated videos addressing depression, anxiety, body image, and other critical issues facing today’s youth. The content ranges from expert advice to peer testimonials, all vetted by mental health professionals.
“We know teens are already on YouTube looking for this information,” explains Sabrina Geremia, Vice President and Country Manager at Google Canada, when I reach her by phone. “Our responsibility is ensuring they find accurate, helpful content rather than potentially harmful material.”
What makes this initiative particularly noteworthy is its Canadian-specific approach. Rather than importing American content, the hub features resources created by and for Canadian youth, acknowledging the unique cultural contexts and healthcare systems young people here navigate.
Dr. Joanna Henderson, Executive Director at CAMH’s Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health, emphasizes why this matters: “Canadian teens face distinct challenges, from our geography and climate to our diverse cultural makeup. These resources reflect those realities.”
Recent data from Statistics Canada reveals concerning trends—19% of Canadian youth report poor or fair mental health, with numbers rising sharply since the pandemic began. More troubling still, many young people face significant barriers to traditional mental health services.
In Northern British Columbia, where I spent time reporting last summer, wait times for youth mental health services can stretch beyond eight months. For Indigenous youth in remote communities, access is even more limited, with cultural disconnects further complicating care.
Seventeen-year-old Darius Jacobs from Lytton First Nation tells me he’s cautiously optimistic about the YouTube initiative. “Our elders have traditional ways of supporting mental wellness that aren’t in textbooks,” he says while we walk along the Fraser River. “But having more resources that actually understand Canadian realities, that could help bridge some gaps.”
The platform aims to supplement rather than replace professional care. Each video includes clear pathways to immediate support for those in crisis, including direct connections to Kids Help Phone counselors.
“This isn’t about replacing therapy,” clarifies Katherine Hay, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone. “It’s about meeting young people where they are with evidence-based information that might help them recognize when they need support and how to find it.”
For educators like Vanessa Williams, who teaches at a high school in East Vancouver, the timing couldn’t be better. “I have students who are clearly struggling but don’t have the vocabulary to express what they’re feeling,” she explains during her lunch break. “Having professionally vetted content they can access privately might be the first step toward getting real help.”
The initiative addresses another crucial gap: representation. The content creators reflect Canada’s diversity, featuring Indigenous youth, newcomers, LGBTQ2S+ teens, and young people from various cultural backgrounds sharing their experiences.
“Seeing someone who looks like you, who shares your background, talking openly about mental health—that’s powerful,” says Dr. Javeed Sukhera, a psychiatrist specializing in youth mental health and equity. “It challenges the stigma that still exists in many communities.”
Despite its promise, mental health advocates emphasize that digital resources can’t solve systemic problems. Canada continues to struggle with a fragmented mental healthcare system where comprehensive services remain inaccessible to many families.
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, only one in five children who need mental health services receives them. Provincial healthcare systems vary widely in their approach to youth mental health, creating geographic inequities.
“YouTube can help bridge awareness gaps, but we still need massive investment in actual services,” says Dr. Henderson. “Especially in rural and remote communities where the infrastructure simply doesn’t exist.”
For Maya, who continues to navigate her own anxiety, the new resource represents a small but meaningful step. “Sometimes you just need to know you’re not the only one feeling a certain way,” she says, showing me a video of a teen describing panic attacks that mirror her own experiences. “It’s not therapy, but it helps you feel less alone while you figure out next steps.”
The YouTube mental health shelf for Canadian teens can be found through search terms related to mental health on the platform or directly through YouTube’s health context features. With approximately 90% of Canadian teens using YouTube regularly according to MediaSmarts research, the potential reach is significant.
As our society grapples with a growing youth mental health crisis, initiatives that meet young people where they already are represent an important part of a comprehensive approach—one that hopefully leads more teens like Maya toward the support they deserve.
