Research has confirmed recent increases in anxiety and depression among children and adolescents. Multiple factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, can account for this increase.
Multiple organizations and companies have stepped in to help, as part of growing efforts by the tech industry to address children mental health concerns. Maro is a company initially created to support parents in their efforts to have difficult conversations about mental health. The pandemic’s increase in mental health difficulties in children led the company to develop an app to help schools screen anxiety, depression, and other mental health difficulties.
Their app also appears to have multiple resources to help educate teachers and parents about common mental health difficulties. This includes how to recognize signs of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and other difficulties. It also provides referral sources and the ability for teachers to communicate concerns to counselors.
Pros: Maro’s app is a great resource for supporting kids as well as teachers hoping to provide positive educational experiences. It’s emphasis on screening can identify those children who really need help. The parent version of the app also has a ton of resources and an AI chat function to help navigate difficulties. This could help to improve client outcomes if it helps parents more adaptively approach children who experience difficulties. And parent coping is itself often a target of child therapy! The app can also setup appointments with pediatricians and other providers.
Limits: The Maro app itself is not meant to be a telehealth platform. Nor is it a form of mental health counseling. Additionally, there is a special sign up process for schools. Maro requires schools to receive permission directly from them (we did not try this because we aren’t part of a school district). The parent version seems to have much easier sign up process.
This app is a really great effort by its creator to address increasing difficulties for kids and their supporters. It may also be a good resource for us as clinicians to pass on to parents having difficulties supporting their kids.
