Say Something SHP 4+

If someone I know is depressed or anything, I’m not going to begin to go through this app. Being direct with people is much better than trying to do it anonymously and solve it like a scooby-doo mystery, and it does not really help anyone and wastes time. Like I really appreciate the ambition to help kids out, but this is not the way to do it. Again, since this app is for anything that isn’t an emergency, I just don’t see any use. Aside from this, I have no clue why everyone wants to act like teens that are mentally struggling are uncommon. This is coming from someone that goes to an advanced/gifted program high school, and everyone I know of in my grade, or just the entire school for that matter, has things going on that causes a lot of depression and constant negative emotions. Instead of just reporting this stuff, can we actually speak about how to deal with it, or even just fix the problem. The main problem is that school overworks everyone, and you have to overwork yourself until you are mentally exhausted just to get into a decent college. There’s a million other things that are causing constant depression and stress in lives, so can we actually do something about instead of reporting that people are struggling, only for it to happen again.

My school recently decided to take this app on, and I am honestly ashamed by the concept of it. This is just wasted potential. Instead of developing an app where children can go and report other children based on their behavior - which they’re not trained or taught how to recognize properly by the way - perhaps they should have developed an ANONYMOUS COUNSELING APP which links students to a counselor anonymously, and they can chat. Instead of forcing students to throw each other under the bus, how about provide counseling as an option instead of something other students force on their peers. Honestly, this is the worst concept for a “helpful” app I have seen. It’s sad that myself, a 17 year old, CAN THINK OF A BETTER CONCEPT than this. It doesn’t help people, in fact the negative effects it could have on a community far outweigh the positive - embarrassing kids who might already be struggling with depression or other mental health issues. These guys should just declare bankruptcy at this point smh.

As a school nurse I can attest to the fact that young people are not always comfortable speaking to someone. Whether this is to report that a friend showed acts of violence or depression. Even most adults are uncomfortable with the subject or getting involved. Of course, if you are comfortable confronting a person about suicidal thoughts then speak to them openly. But if you see or hear something to lead you to believe that someone can harm themselves or others and speaking about it makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable this app allows you to give the much needed information to someone else that can act on it appropriately. Reporting something you see or hear, even if you are unsure, can save lives. This APP is a tool that can and should be used for that. Please if you see something or hear something SAY SOMETHING, whether it be to a trusted adult or via an app.