Recap of opening keynote at the International Mental Health Conference, June 2026

At the opening of the International Mental Health Conference in June 2026, we explored a central tension in digital mental health: its extraordinary promise, alongside the growing pressure to make these technologies safe, equitable and worthy of trust.

Digital innovation is reshaping how people access mental health support. It is opening new routes to care, creating opportunities for earlier intervention and helping people find connection when reaching out feels impossible. Yet these technologies sometimes bring difficult questions about safety, privacy, evidence, equity and human accountability.

The central challenge is not whether we should use digital mental health. Technology is already part of how people live, communicate and seek help. The more important question is how we can use it responsibly.

A widening gap between need and care

The global mental health picture is urgent. The latest Global Burden of Disease research indicates that approximately 1.2 billion people are living with a mental health disorder, affecting every country and every level of economic development. Mental health conditions are now a leading cause of disability worldwide, with young people experiencing a growing share of the burden.

Canada reflects this international pattern. Diagnosed depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress remain common, while self-reported mental health has steadily declined. Recent data shows that only about half of Canadians describe their mental health as very good.

The need for action is especially significant because access to mental health services remains an issue. People may encounter long waits, limited local availability, cost barriers or uncertainty about where to begin. The biggest barrier happens right at the start: fewer than half of people with a mental health or substance use health disorder even recognize that they may need treatment. From there, people drop off at every step of the pathway. Even among those who do reach the healthcare system, many still do not receive quality care.​

When you follow this pathway all the way through, only about seven percent actually receive effective treatment.​

Stigma remains a powerful barrier. Shame and fear of judgment can prevent people from disclosing distress, particularly among communities already facing discrimination. This helps explain why low-pressure and private entry points are so valuable.

Digital mental health cannot solve every system problem, but it can create multiple doorways into care.

The promise of flexibility and connection

Digital mental health encompasses far more than artificial intelligence. It includes telehealth, apps, text-based reminders, online peer communities, virtual reality, screening, and navigation tools. These approaches can offer different levels of support, from everyday wellness to more intensive care.

The experience of Al Raimundo, a member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s lived experience council, the Hallway Group, illustrates the human significance of this opportunity. During a late-night crisis, Al searched online and found a peer-support community. That digital connection offered understanding, reduced isolation, and helped them get through a dangerous moment.

This is an essential point: good digital mental health does not simply transmit information. It can create connection, belonging, and a bridge to further support.

People often choose virtual support because it is affordable, flexible, private and available when they need it. Younger people, newcomers, racialized communities, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities have experienced digital care as a softer entry point, especially when stigma or previous experiences make in-person services feel unsafe.

The trust challenge

Promise alone is not enough. Digital mental health solutions may pose unintended risks when they are not thoughtfully designed, rigorously tested, or responsive to human needs and realities.

Artificial intelligence presents this tension clearly. The Commission’s new polling report, developed in collaboration with Mental Health Research Canada, found that people in Canada are using AI for mental health, and 76% find it effective for managing their mental health. However, trust in AI mental health tools remains much lower than their use would suggest, at 14%. Many people are willing to try these tools, but they are uncertain about whether they are safe, confidential and appropriate.

These concerns are valid. There have been instances of data being collected, shared or commercialized without users fully understanding the implications. Algorithms have reproduced cultural and demographic bias, leaving already underserved communities at greater risk. These are examples of systems created without humans in mind. 

Tensions with AI are especially visible in young people’s online lives. Social media can create connections, peer support and access to mental health information. But attention-driven features can also increase distress and unhealthy use. Young people need a balanced approach that combines safeguards, digital literacy, accessible support, and meaningful youth participation.

Trust will not be created by adding a reassuring message to a finished product. It must be designed into the product from the start. This means clear explanations of how automated decisions are made, consent, and robust privacy protections.

Most importantly, AI should support human connection rather than replace it. People value compassion, judgment and accountability. 

The Commission has partnered with the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction to develop Canada’s first AI Guidance for mental health and substance use health. Trust and explainability, human-centered care, and equity and data governance are key principles being transformed into criteria for AI guidance in these fields. 

From principles to measurable practice

The E-Mental Health Strategy for Canada was created to establish a practical direction for safe, effective, and equitable digital care. Developed through research, expert advice and significant involvement from people with lived and living experience, it identifies six interconnected priorities: building trust, strengthening evaluation, ensuring quality and safety, reducing system barriers, embedding inclusion, and supporting the workforce.

These priorities have global relevance. Digital programs should not simply be replicated because they succeeded elsewhere. They require adaptation to local cultures, languages, laws, infrastructure and communities.

This is also true with mental health app assessment. Up to 20,000 mental health applications are available worldwide, but only a small proportion have credible evidence behind them. User ratings cannot substitute for clinical evidence or safety assessment.

Seven standards guide the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s App Assessment Framework, including data privacy, clinical evidence, safety, security, technical stability, cultural safety and equity. Important emphasis is placed on accessibility, gender equity, lived and living experience consultation, and Indigenous data sovereignty.

Progress requires collective action

The future of digital mental health will depend not only on technical innovation, but on whether that innovation is safe, equitable, and worthy of trust.

Every organization can take a next step. Developers can include lived experience in design and testing. Funders can require evidence, evaluation and accountability. Health leaders can invest in workforce training and digital infrastructure. Governments can support clear standards and knowledge exchange. Communities can help define what safety and quality mean in their own contexts.

Innovation may move quickly, but as Steven M.R. Covey reminds us, “progress moves at the speed of trust.” By keeping humanity, quality, and equity at the centre, digital mental health can fulfil its promise without leaving people to bear its pressures alone.