If you’re worrying about your mental health in 2026, where do you turn for support? It might be your GP, a friend, or a therapist if you have one. But for many of us, the first port of call is the internet. Research suggests that searches related to anxiety and depression are made every three to five seconds, while a recent study by online therapy platform BetterHelp found that one in five people have self-diagnosed after watching mental health content on social media. Of those, just 29% spoke to a GP or doctor about their concerns, and only 19% sought therapy or further support.
The problem is that as the online landscape becomes more crowded, the accuracy of mental health content is declining. In fact, the British Association for Counselling and Psychiatry reports that over 83% of mental health content on TikTok is misleading, whilst 14% could even be considered harmful. Add in the growing trend of using AI tools like ChatGPT in place of therapists, and it’s clear just how noisy the online mental health space has become.
