For Rob Morris, co-founder and CEO of Koko, improving youth mental health means meeting young people in the digital spaces where they already spend their time. Rather than expecting them to seek help through traditional systems, Koko integrates evidence-based support into the online environments they know best. “They are online, they're on social platforms, they're increasingly on AI platforms,” Morris explains. “Our work is to find footholds in those platforms, find areas where young people might be struggling, where we might be able to find them.”

Koko’s work is grounded in single-session interventions, short digital experiences that can measurably improve wellbeing. These sessions are designed to fit seamlessly into platforms like TikTok, Discord, and chatbots, offering guidance on stress, emotional regulation, and coping skills in just a few minutes. Each interaction is crafted to feel personal, nonclinical, and accessible, while maintaining the rigor of evidence-based research.

Koko’s model includes:

• Brief, self-guided digital programs that promote hope and resilience.
• Collaborations with universities and organizations such as Hopelab and Morgan Stanley’s Child Innovation Fund.
• A global network of more than 300 vetted helplines for users in crisis.
• Translation of services into multiple languages and delivery in 199 countries.

The impact is significant. Users report increased hopefulness and lower distress, and Koko regularly receives messages from those who say the platform reached them in moments of crisis.

Morris acknowledges ongoing challenges, including limited access to certain online platforms, cultural differences that affect how interventions are received, and the difficulty of ensuring continuity beyond a single session. Still, he remains focused on the core mission: “If we want to address youth mental health at scale, we have to reach young people where they are.”