Mumbai: Channel Factory, the global contextual advertising company powering performance across walled gardens, has announced the launch of its Mental Health Initiative focused on Young and Vulnerable Audiences Impacted by Social Media. Expanding upon the company’s Conscious Advertising Programme, the initiative zeroes in on safeguarding the wellbeing of young and vulnerable users in the digital ecosystem.
The move comes amid a growing global crisis. With rising rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm among young people, the U.S. Surgeon General has declared youth mental health a national emergency — highlighting the urgent need for safer digital spaces. Channel Factory’s initiative responds to this by integrating wellbeing considerations directly into advertising environments, an area where most brand safety tools have traditionally fallen short.
Building on its success in aligning brands with positive content across DE&I, Sustainability, and Civic Society, Channel Factory is now applying the same framework to support youth mental wellness online.
At the core of the initiative are expert-validated Positive Inclusion Lists — an industry-first solution that helps advertisers promote credible mental health content while maintaining campaign effectiveness.
The rollout will unfold in two phases:
- Phase 1 – Launch of Positive Mental Health Lists (Q4 2025): Channel Factory will introduce its first Positive Mental Health Inclusion List. These expertly curated channels and videos will allow clients to run ads in 100% dedicated mental health content or integrate mental health upweights into conventional reach-based plans.
- Phase 2 – Advertiser Integration (Q1 2026): The curated Positive Mental Health Lists will become further customizable by subtopic — including healthy sleep habits, body image confidence, and healthy eating practices. This will enable brands to run targeted campaigns around specific aspects of wellbeing or enhance broader media strategies with a positive wellness layer.
“Advertisers have both the influence and the responsibility to shape healthier digital spaces. With this initiative, we are giving advertisers a trusted framework to actively support youth mental wellness while ensuring their campaigns continue to perform. It proves that responsibility and results can go hand in hand, setting a new benchmark for responsible media investment,” said Philip Cowdell, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Channel Factory.
Developed in consultation with leading academics and advocates — including Dr. Sameer Hinduja, Dr. Dan Reidenberg, Dr. Peter Macauley, and Dr. Jessica Piotrowski — the program incorporates multi-disciplinary validation to ensure alignment with best practices in youth wellbeing.
Channel Factory’s recent global research underscores the urgency of this issue:
- 50% of consumers believe social media content negatively impacts young people’s mental health.
- Nearly 1 in 5 describe the effect as “very negative.”
- Just 21% see social media as having a positive impact.
- Crucially, two in three consumers believe advertisers have a responsibility to ensure ads appear only alongside content that supports, rather than harms, young people’s mental health.
With its Youth Mental Health Initiative, Channel Factory is setting a new global standard for responsible advertising — demonstrating how technology, brand integrity, and societal wellbeing can coexist.
To learn more about the program and access resources for advertisers, visit https://www.channelfactory.com/mental-health.
