The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘community’, so in the spirit of togetherness, we asked our very own online communities, Core4 & 4Youth, what they thought about online communities.

We wanted to know all about the kinds of people who are part of an online community, the online platforms they use, their typical interactions within the group, and most importantly, the potential mental health benefits of being part of an online community.

Along the way, we discovered that almost half of respondents are part of some kind of online community and that a third of 16-34s say their mental health has improved since joining an online community, with half of them saying that social media has had a positive impact on their mental health.

“I decided to join an online community because I felt lonely and struggling with my mental health. I didn’t feel confident enough to leave the house so an online community was good for me to join. I like being part of it because we cheer each other on and help each other through hard times” Male, 45-54