Snapchat adds mental health tools to ease coronavirus anxiety

Snapchat is updating its app with a set of mental health tools meant to help users combat anxiety and depression. The feature, called "Here For You," was first previewed in February, but the company says it opted to speed up its release in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the new feature, Snapchat users can find mental health resources in the app when they search for terms like "anxiety," "stress," "depression," or "bullying." Search results turn up videos from organizations, such as Crisis Text Line or the Ad Council.

Besides these previously-planned updates, Snap says it's working on a section of "Here For You," that's specifically meant to deal with coronavirus-related anxiety, which will highlight information from health organizations like the CDC and World Health Organization. The feature should begin rolling out to the app next week, according to the company.

Snap has previously offered other coronavirus-related updates to its users. The company has been covering the pandemic in its daily news show Good Luck America and the app has regularly featured geofilters encouraging hand washing and social distancing.