Youth-focused Design and Regulation in eHealth Can Help Address the Mental Healthcare Crisis

Abstract

An ongoing mental healthcare crisis has been exacerbated by COVID-19, particularly for youth. However, one unexpected effect of this pandemic is that access to digital mental healthcare has rapidly expanded. We argue that eHealth interventions, including telehealth and mobile interventions (mHealth), can effectively address mental health challenges, reduce costs for individuals and institutions, and broadly expand access to mental healthcare. For the promise of eHealth to be fully realized, FDA regulation must thoughtfully balance the promotion of evidence-based interventions with broad public accessibility. Furthermore, youth involvement throughout the design process and consideration of youth-specific needs when establishing regulations are critical to the success of eHealth in addressing youth mental health in the United States.