Young people’s mental health is under strain like never before, and the digital world is both part of the problem and the solution. While online spaces can fuel comparison, isolation, and overload, they also offer an unprecedented opportunity to reach young people where they are, with support that’s immediate, relevant, and accessible.

In this important conversation, we're bringing together experts from Australia's foremost Centre of Excellence in youth mental health research and innovation, Orygen, and the nation's leading and most trusted online mental health service for young people, ReachOut Australia.

• Orygen is Australia's Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, globally renowned for its pioneering research and evidence-based clinical care. For over 30 years, Orygen has led the field in preventing and treating mental ill-health in young people, offering innovative digital supports like MOST and Mello, alongside programs such as #chatsafe and specialized residential care, all while providing education and training to improve youth mental health worldwide.
• ReachOut Australia is the nation's leading and most trusted online mental health service for young people and their parents. A true pioneer in youth-driven, evidence-based support, ReachOut has spent over two decades creating safe, peer-informed online spaces. It provides free, anonymous, and confidential digital resources, peer support, and expert coaching, enabling young people and families to build resilience and navigate life's challenges on their own terms before they escalate.

Together, they'll explore how digital services are evolving to meet the very real and rising needs of young people, from early intervention to crisis care. What's truly working? Where do the gaps still lie? And how do we ensure that innovation stays grounded in integrity, evidence, and, most importantly, the authentic voices of the young people we're here to support? This isn't just a check-in on digital mental health innovation; it's an invitation to rethink care: connected, compassionate, and truly designed for this generation.

Key Discussion Points

1. Setting the Scene: What is the current state of youth mental health in Australia?  
2. Defining Young People's Needs: What do young people want and need from a digital service? 
3. Beyond the Buzzwords: How digital services are evolving to address the unique needs of today’s youth in mental health. 
4. Youth-Led Design: How incorporating youth perspectives is crucial in designing effective digital interventions.
5. Evidence-Based Impact: The importance of building an evidence base to ensure digital services are effective and trusted.
6. Future of Youth Care: What’s next for digital mental health services, and how we can expand access worldwide.