- Alexandra Whitwam - Youth and Community Engagement Senior Manager, Telstra Foundation
A conversation can change a day. Access to support can change a future.
R U OK? Day reminds us of the power of a simple question.
Asking “Are you OK?” can open the door to an important conversation, help someone feel less alone and show them that support is available. But for many young people experiencing mental health challenges, a conversation is only the first step.
The reality is that too many young people face barriers to accessing the support they need, when they need it. Demand for services continues to grow, wait times can be long, and navigating the mental health system can feel overwhelming.
That’s why accessible, evidence-based digital mental health support has an increasingly important role to play.
At Telstra Foundation, we’re proud to support organisations working to bridge these gaps and make mental health support more accessible for young people. Through our partnerships with ReachOut and Orygen Digital, we’re backing practical, evidence-led approaches that help young people access trusted support in ways that work for them.
Meeting young people where they are
Today’s young people have grown up in a digital world. They connect, learn, create and seek information online every day. It’s also often where they first go when they’re looking for help.
That’s why digital services can be such a powerful part of the mental health support ecosystem. When designed safely and thoughtfully, they can provide young people with accessible, evidence-based support wherever they are, at any time of day.
Importantly, digital mental health services don’t replace face-to-face care. Instead, they can help young people find support earlier, build confidence to seek help and access trusted information and resources while navigating more complex care pathways.
Supporting young people in an AI-powered world
As technology evolves, so do the ways young people seek information and support.
Many young people are already turning to AI-powered tools to ask questions, solve problems and explore topics they may feel uncomfortable raising elsewhere. That reality presents both opportunities and challenges for the mental health sector and not all AI support is equal.
Through Telstra Foundation’s partnership with ReachOut, we’re supporting innovation that explores how AI can help connect young people with trusted, evidence-based mental health information, while maintaining strong safeguards and human oversight.
One example is Ask ReachOut, a new AI-powered support experience designed to help young people navigate ReachOut’s extensive library of trusted mental health resources. Rather than offering open-ended mental health advice, Ask ReachOut is designed to guide users towards evidence-based information and support pathways in a safe and structured way.
It’s a practical example of what responsible AI can look like in action: using technology to improve access to support while keeping safety, trust and young people’s wellbeing at the centre.
ReachOut has been providing free online mental health support, information and peer connection for young people, as well as parents and carers, for more than two decades.
For many young people, ReachOut offers a trusted first step. Whether they’re looking for practical advice, stories from people with similar experiences or tools to help manage challenges, the platform provides support that is accessible, evidence-informed and designed with young people’s needs in mind.
Supporting evidence based pathways to help
Orygen Digital is also helping shape the future of youth mental health care through the development of evidence-based digital tools and services. Its work focuses on harnessing technology to improve access to support and create more responsive mental health systems for young people.
Orygen Digital’s suite of services includes MOST, Mello and Mind VR, which together offer different pathways of support for young people. MOST is a digital mental health platform that combines therapeutic content, professional support and peer connection in one place. Mello is a free app that helps young people manage repetitive negative thinking, or “stuck thinking”, through practical evidence-based exercises. Mind VR is an immersive virtual reality experience being developed to help young people better understand and manage their thoughts and emotions using therapeutic techniques in a more engaging digital environment.
Together, these organisations demonstrate how digital innovation can help strengthen the broader youth mental health system by making support easier to find, access and engage with.
Building a stronger system of support
Mental health challenges among young people are complex and there are no simple solutions.
That’s why Telstra Foundation focuses on backing organisations that combine evidence, innovation and deep expertise to create practical pathways to support. We know that technology alone isn’t the answer, but when used responsibly, it can help remove barriers, extend reach and connect more young people with the help they need.
Supporting safer, more inclusive digital futures means helping ensure that young people can access trusted support online, especially during moments when they may not know where else to turn.
This R U OK? Day
This R U OK? Day, we’re encouraging everyone to check in with the young people in their lives.
Start the conversation. Listen with empathy. Stay connected.
And remember that support doesn’t have to end with the question.
By backing organisations like ReachOut and Orygen Digital, we’re helping build a future where more young people can access timely, evidence-based mental health support, wherever they are and whenever they need it.
Learn more about our partners:
