How is Tellmi different to social media?

Tellmi’s anonymous and pre-moderated digital peer support app allows young people to join a safe and supportive online community without being exposed to social media’s potential harms.

Growing concerns over the harm that young people may experience when using unregulated social media have resulted in calls for social media to be banned for those under 16 in the UK. This would follow the lead of Australia, where social media was age-restricted in December 2025. 

Issues associated with social media include engagement-driven algorithms exposing young people to harmful or exploitative content, bullying or discrimination, and metric-driven social approval and validation. 

Young people are also at risk of being groomed, particularly those who are vulnerable and lonely. 

However, there is opposition to an outright social media ban from organisations that work closely with young people. The Molly Rose Foundation, NSPCC and 5 Rights Foundation are among the groups that have highlighted that social media can be an essential source of peer support for many young people, particularly for marginalised communities. For example, a 2025 study cited that 70% of LGBTQ+ teens reported finding supportive online communities that reduced isolation caused by offline stigma (Osborne, 2025). 

Recognising social media’s harms, those opposing an outright ban have instead called for stricter enforcement over regulation and moderation of digital platforms rather than stripping away a vital source of connection and community for many young people.

Tellmi offers a solution. Our digital mental health app is an anonymous and pre-moderated online platform that provides young people with the opportunity to join a supportive online community that, unlike social media, puts their safety and wellbeing first.

Co-created with young people, our app is designed to look like social media so that it is accessible and engaging for young people, but there are no competitive social features or exploitative algorithms and they are protected from the harms many report being exposed to on social media platforms.  

Human moderation of all posts and replies before they are published means that no harmful content ever appears on Tellmi, protecting young people from bullying or discrimination. Any posts that reveal personal information are prevented from going live, meaning that groomers cannot lure lonely and vulnerable members of the Tellmi community away from the app and exploit them. If a young person makes a high-risk post that makes us concerned about their immediate wellbeing, counsellors are on hand to make sure they are safe. 

Our strict safeguarding features are backed by the NHS, who commission us to deliver accessible digital peer and counsellor support. Our service is evidence-based and, with no waiting list or assessments, improves access to early mental health support. 

Unlike social media, we are a digital platform that puts the wellbeing and safety of our users first.