Building the trust infrastructure the youth mental health field urgently needs: Quality Standards that balance safety, risk, outcomes, and engagement, grounded in how young people actually experience value.
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Youth mental health is still in crisis, with millions turning to digital tools for support. But without clear standards, it's hard to know what works or scale what does.
At MCert, we're collaborating with leaders to design an efficacy framework for sub-clinical mental health tools that will answer the question: "What does 'good' look like for digital, subclinical mental health tools, including real-world implementation practices?" Our end goal is to instill Systemic Trust, increase sustainable adoption, and improve well-being for all young people.
We are on a mission to help funders, health and technology leaders and policymakers to confidently identify, fund, and scale high-quality subclinical digital mental health and wellbeing tools.
Our Vision
MCert believes in a triple win for the digital youth mental health ecosystem, a future where all system enablers, from community leaders to youth, can easily find trusted, effective, and safe sub-clinical mental health tools.
Youth bear the greatest burden of poor quality standards, especially those from low-income backgrounds, communities of color, LGBTQ+ and rural areas. MCert gives every young person and their family confidence that the tools they use are safe and designed with their well-being at the center.
Those who fund digital mental health tools, from philanthropy to government to insurance, all need clarity to navigate a market filled with unverified tools. MCert establishes non-partisan Quality Standards that ease decision-making, build confidence, and mitigate risk, enabling investment in solutions that are safe and effective.
Innovators who build high-quality mental health tools deserve a clear pathway to demonstrate their value. MCert Quality Standards provide builders with credible, verifiable standards to meet, unlocking trust, investment, and sustainable adoption in an otherwise crowded market.
The surge of new products, accelerated by generative AI, has outpaced the systems designed to assess quality, safety, and effectiveness. Static evaluation is no longer an option. The time has come for an adaptive approach capable of responding to rapid technological change.
The digital mental health space is growing faster than our ability to evaluate it. Sectors are working in silos, duplicating effort and deepening confusion, while young people bear the cost. The ecosystem needs a connector focused on both standards and implementation.
More people are turning to digital tools for mental health support, but many offerings remain unproven. Without clarity, system enablers risk investing in solutions that fail, or cause harm.
MCert is following a collaborative, phased approach to building the non-partisan infrastructure the digital youth mental health sector needs to thrive.
2025
Eight months of research, interviews, and building relationships across the digital youth mental health ecosystem, laying the foundation for a trusted, non-partisan Quality Standard.
2026 · Complete
Brought together ~30 curated experts across payors, policy, tech, research, and community to surface core challenges, align on shared priorities, and begin shaping the foundations for evaluating digital mental health tools. Their insights anchor a trusted, non-partisan approach.
Q2-3 2026 · In Progress
Working collectively to develop a blueprint that defines clear, science-backed criteria and practical strategies for assessing digital mental health tools. This blueprint will outline a go-to-market roadmap for testing, refining, and validating Quality Standards in real-world environments.
Q4 2026 and Beyond
With the blueprint established, MCert will move into active piloting with partners across sectors, demonstrating how trusted standards can simplify decision-making, unlock responsible innovation, and strengthen market confidence in digital youth mental health tools.
Throughout this work, we will center youth perspectives and equity, ensuring that our approach reflects the realities of those most impacted and creates a more inclusive, accountable ecosystem for all.
Get Involved
This work depends on collaboration across sectors. Whether you shape policy, fund solutions, build products, or support communities, your expertise strengthens the standard we're creating.
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We'd love to hear from you. Whether you're interested in our Quality Standards, exploring partnership opportunities, or joining our next convening, reach out directly.
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