It is going in the wrong direction for Sweden’s young people’s mental health, says Liza-Maria Norlin, process manager at GovTech Sweden. Self-reported mental health problems have grown among Sweden’s school children since the 1980s, according to it public health authority.

GovTech Sweden has worked with startups to develop tools to solve this problem. These include apps that provide personal advice and regular checks, which has not happened before.

Norlin highlights the work of these socially conscious companies as part of her role in growing Sweden’s state-owned technology industry. She also talks about how the agency helps the rest of society become comfortable using technology.

Develop tools for mental health for young people

GovTech Sweden aims to increase young people’s mental health by helping relevant startups that lack resources and expertise. This makes it possible for these health startups to develop their digital tools alongside schools and public health research, Norlin emphasizes.

A startup is developing an app to help young people suffering from obesity and its effects on mental health. The app will guide users on how to make lifestyle changes and let them chat with an online mentor.

Users will receive regular updates and guidance on how to improve their well-being. The app will provide daily support, rather than just addressing health issues during hospital visits, she explains.

Another startup helped a school monitor students’ mental well-being. It built an app where students can regularly discuss their feelings with school staff and report indicators of poor mental health, as if they have skipped a meal, says Norlin.

This proactive strategy was created by a mental health doctor, who previously could only provide personal treatment. Going online helped him reach more young people.

GovTech helps startups realize their innovative ideas. The learn small businesses how to present ideas, manage finances and understand how public organizations work.

The next step is to explore how governments can share their innovations across borders to save time and effort. “We can not expect everything to be done here locally,” she says.

3 key areas to address

In addition to young people’s mental health, Norlin highlights three issues that GovTech Sweden addresses.

First, the organization highlights the use of AI in healthcare, along with the National Center for Artificial Intelligence. These experts are trying to break down the barriers that prevent AI from being adopted across the country, wrote their website.

This is a special challenge for Sweden’s healthcare sector. The country’s health system is divided into 21 regions, each with its own regulations, IT system and leadership, Norlin continues.

Secondly, GovTech Sweden supports a group of local authorities when they try to improve areas of public life with technology. These include digitization of school exams and the use of digital tools can help in dementia care, wrote the group’s website.

The organization brought together members of the regional and national governments to share ideas on how to address these challenges. It also advised the eight municipalities on how to start working with contractors to provide these digital tools.

Third, it explores virtual reality to discuss national issues. These anonymous discussions encourage more openness in sharing ideas, write technology developerswho share their experiences with GovTech Sweden.

Finland has already seen success in hosting these virtual discussions. The public sector “used this as a way to innovate new ways of working with citizens, digital services and so on”, says Norlin.

Another type of GovTech

GovTech Sweden collaborates with private companies to support citizens’ needs. “The Swedish ecosystem for GovTech is quite different from other countries” because initiatives are usually only run by the national government, Norlin shares.

GovTech Sweden was started by a group of technology-focused civil servants in the private and public sectors, rather than being created by the national government. Its origins mean that it now works closely with the private sector to develop new tools and services.

Working with startups is beneficial because they make quick decisions. – The public sector needs that kind of culture sometimes, she says. Small businesses are also more willing to address social issues, such as improving mental health, compared to larger companies, she adds.

Sweden’s public sector does not yet cooperate with the private sector on a par with Denmark and Norway, says Norlin. But its innovation in mental health for young people and lively discussions are a good starting point.