SHARING THEIR INVALUABLE
EXPERTISE FOR FREE 60 SECONDS AT
A TIME.
>> Reporter: WHEN SOMEONE SAYS
TIKTOK, WE THINK OF VIDEOS LIKE
THIS.
♪
>> Reporter: AND THIS.
♪ IM ALL THE WAY UP
>> Reporter: HIDDEN AMONG THE
DANCE CHALLENGES AND DEBATES
ABOUT HAIR PARTS IS A GROWING
COMMUNITY OF MENTAL HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE USING THE
APP AS A MEGAPHONE TO DESTIGMA
DESTIGMATIZE THERAPY.
>> YOU MADE IT TO THE PLACE
WHERE THERE ISNT ANY DRAMA.
ALL IM HERE TO DO IS HELP YOU
THROUGH YOUR TRAUMA.
>> Reporter: NATTIE IS A
PSYCHOTHERAPIST, LICENSED SOCIAL
WORKER, AND TIKTOKS MENTAL
HEALTH RESOURCE.
SHE STARTED POSTING VIDEOS AT
THE START OF THE PANDEMIC.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START
TIKTOK THERAPY?
>> I WAS GETTING SO MANY
MESSAGES FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS
SAYING, "IM EXPERIENCING
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.
MY KID IS REALLY STRESSED."
I REALIZED, OKAY, PEOPLE ARE
REALLY STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW, AND
THEY REALLY NEED THIS
INFORMATION.
>> Reporter: HER STATS ONE YEAR
IN, 32 MILLION LIKES, 3.2
MILLION DEDICATED FOLLOWERS,
MOST OF THEM TEENAGERS.
BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13 AND 20, I
WOULD HAVE GIVEN ANYTHING TO
HEAR A COMMUNITY TALKING ABOUT
THESE WEIRD, CRAZY THOUGHTS THAT
I WAS HAVING.
TO NORMALIZE IT IMMEDIATELY.
>> Reporter: I THINK GENZ IS THE
FIRST GENERATION THAT IS
RECOGNIZING EARLIER WHAT IS
HAPPENING BECAUSE OF ALL THE
RESOURCES OUT THERE.
>> Reporter: IS IT A GOOD
PATHWAY TO MORE, LONG-TERM,
PERSON TO PERSON THERAPY?
>> I DO, YEAH.
SEEING A VIDEO,BIG INFORMED AND
CONNECTED TO THE VIDEO LEADS YOU
TO THE NEXT STEP.
80% TO 90% OF MY CLIENTS CAME
FROM TIKTOK.
>> Reporter: THE TRADITIONAL
NEXT STEP IS WHAT MANY MENTAL
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HOPE THE
APP WILL ENCOURAGE.
>> THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR
THE IN-PERSON GIVE AND TAKE,
WHERE WE CAN TAILOR THE THERAPY
TO THE PERSON WHO NEEDS IT.
>> Reporter: WHILE PROFESSIONALS
SAY TIKTOK ISNT A REPLACEMENT
FOR ONE-ON-ONE THERAPY, MANY
GEN Z TEENS, LIKE LANA, CHRIS,
AND ELLA, SAY IT HELPED THEM
DEAL WITH STRESS, ANXIETY, AND
LONELINESS THIS PAST YEAR.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE TIKTOK
VIDEOS THAT REALLY HITS HOME?
>> MY ATTENTION SPAN HAS SPORTEN
ED
-- SHORTENED, AND THE 15 TO
1-MINUTE VIDEOS GRABS MY
ATTENTION WHEN I DONT FEEL LIKE
WATCHING A TED TALK.
>> Reporter: MY FOLKS, WE WERE
NORMAL OR CRAZY.
WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, I WAS A
NERVOUS WRECK.
I KNOW NOW THAT I HAD GENERAL
ANXIETY DISORDER AND PANIC
ATTACKS, BUT THEY WERENT
DEFINED.
DO YOUR FRIENDS TALK ABOUT
THERAPY OR MENTAL HEALTH?
>> I THINK DEFINITELY OUR
GENERATION IS MAKING STRIDES TO
PUSH FOR NORMALCY IN TERMS OF
GETTING HELP.
>> I CAN EVEN SEE IT WITH MY
GRANDPARENTS.
WHEN I SAY, I HAVE A THERAPY
SESSION TODAY, THEY SHIFT AND
GET UNCOMFORTABLE.
>> Reporter: LIKE, WHATS WRONG
WITH YOU?
>> YEAH.
IM LIKE, LEARNING TO LOVE
MYSELF WITH MY ANXIETY.
>> Reporter: HELP ME HELP
PARENTS WATCHING RIGHT NOW, WHO
HAVE TEENAGERS AND THEYRE
REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THEM.
HOW SHOULD PARENTS APPROACH
THEIR KIDS?
>> I MEAN, I THINK THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING FOR PARENTS
WOULD BE TO BE COMPASSIONATE.
>> DEFINITELY SITTING YOUR CHILD
DOWN, MAKING SURE THAT THEY KNOW
THAT THEY STILL LOVE YOU AND
THEY STILL CARE ABOUT THEM.
SO WE DONT CREATE ANOTHER
ENVIRONMENT WHERE A WHOLE OTHER
GENERATION GOES THINKING THAT
YOURE EITHER CRAZY OR NOT
CRAZY.
>> I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT
IF YOURE A PARENT, GETTING YOUR
CHILD THERAPY IS NOT A MARK OF
YOU FAILING AS A PARENT.
>> Reporter: GREAT POINT.
>> IT IS A PREVENTIVE ACTION, SO
THEY DONT HAVE THESE DARK
EMOTIONS DRAGGING THEM DOWN FOR
THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.
YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR KIDS LIFE
NOW.
JUST BE OPEN MINDED.
>> Reporter: YOU GUYS ARE ALL SO
SMART.
I HAVE SUCH FAITH IN THE FUTURE
OF THIS COUNTRY IF ITS IN THE
THREE OF YOUR HANDS.
I WAS
>> I WAS AMAZED BY THEM.
IT WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION.
WE WERE BLOWN AWAY BY THEIR
THOUGHTFULNESS, EMPATHY,
WILLINGNESS TO SHARE.
WE COVERED A LOT OF GROUND.
A LOT OF ADVICE FOR PARENTS,
LIKE IN THE LAST CLIP.
PARENTS COME TO ME AND THEYRE
LIKE, IM WORRIED.
MY KID DOESNT GET OUT OF BED.
WHAT IS THE LINE BETWEEN THEM
BEING A LAZY TEENAGER OR A RED
FLAG, FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT
SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON.
THOSE KIDS HAVE THE ANSWERS.
WE HAVE A 30-MINUTE
CONVERSATION.
ITS THAT CONVERSATION IN ITS
ENTIRETY.
WELL HAVE THAT FOR YOU
STREAMING ON OUR STREAMING
PLATFORM, TODAY ALL DAY.
IF YOURE A PARENT WATCHING AND
WANT TO SEE MORE OF THAT, WE
INVITE YOU TO GO 11:00 A.M.,
LIKE A MOVIE, THREE SCREENINGS.
I DONT KNOW HOW THIS WORLD OF
CONTENT WORKS, BUT TUNE IN
SOMEWHERE.
TODAY ALL DAY.
11 CLK 1
11:00 A.M., 2:00 P.M., AND 8:00
P.M. EASTERN.
>> TO YOUR POINT, THE TEENAGERS
SEEM EXPONENTIALLY SMARTER THAN
WE WERE.
>> OH, MY GOSH.
>> YEAH.
THERAPY IS EXPENSIVE, TOO.
THE THING ABOUT TIKTOK, IT IS A
GREAT RESOURCE.
OVER 100 THERAPISTS THAT DONATED
THEIR TIME TO CREATE THIS
COMMUNITY.
ESPECIALLY FOR, YOU KNOW,
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, WHERE
THERES NOT A LOT OF ACCESS TO
THERAPY, IT IS A GREAT PLACE TO