improving depression symptoms in UNDER 10 minutes

The Uplift the Web Challenge brought together academics and practitioners in a collective effort to identify effective interventions to reduce depression.

The submissions were rigorously evaluated in one of the largest randomized experiments in the history of mental health research. While some existing depression interventions are in-person, time-intensive, and involve repeated exposure, the study focused on short, scalable interventions that can reach millions of people.

Koko submitted our Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal SSI. This intervention was built to target youth, but grounded in research and findings, we were hopeful it would translate to impact for adults as well.
📋
66
SSIs Submitted
🌎
5
Continents
📮
112
Contributors
🏅
12
SSI finalists
to be compared

the megastudy experiment

7,505 adults with elevated depressive symptoms were recruited online.

1️⃣
The selected participants took a wellbeing questionnaire then were routed to either:
  • Passive control
  • Active control
  • One of the 11 selected SSIs
2️⃣
Immediately after completion, they completed another well-being questionnaire. 

3️⃣
Then, four-weeks later, they were assessed a final time with the well-being questionnaire. 

The results  

Koko's “Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal” was the highest performing intervention within
10 of 12 measures in the study.

This SSI had the largest positive impact on participants' sense of agency or hope for improvement. It significantly outperformed all other interventions in enhancing short-term psychological empowerment.
Koko's was one of only two SSIs that led to statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms after four weeks. While the effect size is modest, it is meaningful given the brief nature of the intervention.

See all outcomes in the full preprint here.  

summary

The study is complete, but our work is not.

We’re proud to share these results from the Uplift the Web Challenge, a landmark megastudy comparing dozens of digital mental health interventions side by side.

While Koko has participated in many randomized controlled trials, this was the first time one of our tools was tested at scale against so many others.

The findings were clear: short, direct interventions can make a real difference. This validates our core belief that even small, accessible actions online can meaningfully improve mental health.

The study may be complete, but our work isn’t. We’re using these insights to strengthen our interventions and reach even more young people around the world.
Read the full preprint

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We’re on a mission to help end the 

youth mental health crisis.
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