Empowering youths through AI-powered mental health support

Shine Children and Youth Services (SHINE), a member of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), is dedicated to supporting children, youth, and families in need. In line with their vision to enhance the youth experience and service quality, and in response to the evolving social service landscape, as well as the increasing mental health needs, Shine has developed the ‘eBuddy’ mobile application.

Innovative features of the app

The ‘eBuddy’ app is powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to provide youths with enhanced access to mental health wellness resources and support. This innovative app not only offers self-help tips, wellness exercises, and goal-setting features but also includes a gratitude journal with sentiment analysis, enabling automatic identification of behavioural symptoms and timely prompts for youths to seek assistance.

ResiL!ence, the mental health services of SHINE Children and Youth Services, in collaboration with Myloh, highlighted the critical role of technology in addressing growing demands and enhancing work efficiency to Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health at the NCSS Transformation Marketplace 2023.

Positive outcomes

The project commenced in February 2021, with the support of NCSS in areas of consultancy and technology funding. Since its launch in April 2021, the app has seen multiple releases to ensure continuous improvement, and SHINE has observed positive outcomes, with youths demonstrating improved coping with anxiety and a decreasing trend in fear. This reflects the app's effectiveness in providing convenient and proactive mental health assistance to youths in today's digital age.

Vision for mental health

Said Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth and Social and Family Development at the launch of the app: "We want to be an inclusive society where mental health is no longer stigmatised and help-seeking is normalised."

ResiL!ence, the mental health services of SHINE Children and Youth Services, showcasing their comprehensive mental health services and innovative Digital Mental Health programs at the inaugural Family-Centred Care Conference 2023, held by the National University Health System (NUHS).

Through the adoption of the eBuddy app, SHINE has demonstrated its dedication to empowering and supporting youths in their journey towards improved mental well-being, and ensuring that they are equipped with a better understanding of mental health conditions and effective ways to manage them.