R U OK? Day is marked on 8 September and Pinterest is urging Pinners to check in on their own well-being and that of those around them.

Pinterest has launched articles that provide educational activities for schools, tips on how to navigate an R U OK? conversation and ways to meaningfully get involved for R U OK? Day. It has even co-opted Australia’s long-established tall furry health and safety icon, Healthy Harold, to help spread the message.

Pinterest is continuing to hero content from creators and organisations around emotional well-being. It is also encouraging Pinners to use the platform to build their confidence in checking in on a family member, friend or colleague.

Pinterest has noted that the positive environment on the platform makes people more likely to remember, feel positive about, trust and purchase from brands. 

Two in three adults agree it’s a brand’s responsibility to advertise in safe, positive places and avoid negative content online. 

Increased searches on ways to improve mental health

To improve Pinners’ moods, Pinterest has worked with outside mental health experts to create and ensure resources for emotional well-being are available on the platform, doubling the reach of its compassionate search feature over the past year.  It has also included interactive activities to help elevate access to supportive resources.

Pinterest has designed its app to stay up-to-date with industry leading policies such as its weight loss ad ban, climate misinformation policy and political ads ban. These actions ensure that Pinners can access trusted resources without being bombarded with conflicting or distressing content.

With the increasing pressures around the world, cost of living rises and COVID-19 dominating the news cycle, there has been an increase of searches on Pinterest for activities improving mental health.

For example, searches for ‘how to improve mental health’, ‘stress quote’ and ‘mindful living’ doubled during the period from mid-February to mid-March this year, compared to 2021 data.