Tinder urges Gen Z members in India to check in on their mental health  

Tinder India is offering free mental health resources that include access to therapy sessions to all its members in the country, in collaboration with VisitHealth. Starting today and through July, existing and new members will have free access via the Tinder app to emotional wellness content curated by VisitHealth including guided meditations, fitness videos and more. Every Tinder member will have access to up to two free sessions with licensed therapists across all major Indian languages, and continued support at discounted rates for beyond the first two sessions.

More than half of all Tinder members are Gen Z (18 to 25-year-old young adults). The loss, longing, and loneliness created by the pandemic has accelerated a new normal in every aspect of their lives including being more open on Tinder. It has led Tinder members to be more truthful and vulnerable about who they are, how they look, and what they’re going through with mentions of ‘anxious’ growing by 20% and “normalize” by 11X in Tinder bios in India between the start of the pandemic in 2020 to now.

“The pandemic has put things in perspective for all of us. Covid-19 has been hard on mental health, especially for our young members who are dealing with a new normal across all facets of their lives. The last couple of months have been particularly hard with nearly everyone dealing with heightened levels of grief, stress, anxiety and loss. We recognise that every once in a while, one needs to pause and check-in and hope that with this initiative, our members find comfort in the fact that now support is just a click away on Tinder”, says Ms. Taru Kapoor, General Manager - Tinder & Match Group, India.

Dhruva Kalra, Head of Strategy & Growth, Visit Health stated “As an integrated digital healthcare platform, our mission is to make quality care available to all and also destigmatize mental health. Through our partnership with Tinder, we wish to provide a safe space to young adults and support their emotional and social wellbeing. We believe empathy is the key during these challenging times, and our coaches understand that and customize care to each individual's needs.

“The pandemic has been hard for everyone, including young people. Many are feeling lonely in their own homes. Their safe spaces whether college, workplaces or even the freedom to spend time with friends have been impacted. The feeling of time slipping away is present and they are grieving for missed opportunities, for friendships, dating or even the ability to be out and about in the world. This increased loneliness, frustration along with privacy concerns has added to the anxiety the young are experiencing today. At a time like this, reaching out and addressing emotional concerns can be the first step towards one's own well-being', said Sonali Gupta, Mumbai-based clinical psychologist.