Snapchat launches the first of its Mini apps with Headspace meditations

The first of Snap’s new Mini apps launched Monday, with tools from the Headspace meditation app, part of an initiative “to help support Snapchatters’ mental health and emotional well-being,” a Snap spokesperson said at a statement.

Snap announced that it would launch Minis at its Virtual Partner Summit last month. Minis, as the name implies, are miniature applications created by external developers that run within Snapchat to create more social experiences between friends, and are created using HTML.

The Headspace Mini is one of four that Snap will launch this week. The others are Let’s Do It, which allows groups to make decisions together, Mammoth Media’s Prediction Master, who “answers timely questions about everything from the stock market to sneakers, so Snapchatters can see which of their friends is the true psychic “, and Tembo Flashcards, to create study aids.

Snap says its research shows that feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health issues are high among its users, and found that users generally want to turn to their friends first when faced with these feelings. “That research helped inform how we designed this Headspace mini: We are putting resources front and center where Snapchatters already talk to their close friends, and we hope this new feature provides a safe space for friends to practice mindfulness and they can send encouraging messages to positively boost friends who need it, ”the spokesperson said.

The Headspace Mini has six meditation sessions, lasting three to four minutes, and include topics like “Just Breathe”, “Get Out of a Funk”, “Kick the Panic”, “Be Kind to You”, “Pressure to Succeed”. “And” Me Time “.

Snapchat’s audience is one of the youngest on social media, reaching 90 percent of people ages 13 to 34. It launched its Here For You search tool in March to help users feel anxious or stressed about the new coronavirus pandemic, the company says, showing “safety resources” from mental health experts when users search for topics. such as anxiety, depression, suicide, or bullying.

There are a couple of ways to access the Headspace Mini on Snapchat; You can enter through the vertical Here for you or you can touch the rocket icon in the Chat to start a conversation with friends and meditate together. If you prefer to meditate alone, type the word “Headspace” into the search bar to find it.

“By putting these helpful resources front and center where friends already meet and share, we believe Snapchat can play a unique role in empowering friends to help each other through difficult times,” said a Headspace spokesperson at an e-mail to The edge.