Can tech tackle the global crisis of depression and anxiety?

DURING the early weeks of the pandemic in 2020, as China imposed strict controls on the movement of its citizens, technology became the main means of tackling anxiety and depression. Smartphones provided crucial support to locked-down Chinese citizens, from counselling through chat services to online self-help. WeChat, Weibo and TikTok, the country’s giant social networks, swung into action, offering mental-health education and services.