Reimagining mental health waiting periods through co-designed digital social connection

<title>Abstract</title> <p>A quarter of a million people under 25 are waiting for mental health treatment, sometimes for up to two years, leaving many uncertain, isolated and at risk of deterioration. We aimed to co-design a digital intervention embedding social connection to support young people aged 16–25 while waiting. Using Double Diamond Design and NIHR co-production principles, over 100 young people with lived experience and 12 professional stakeholders contributed across prioritisation, co-design and development. Torchlight provides social support and information through mixed-media content featuring young people’s and professionals’ experiences. Stakeholders conceptualised social connection differently: professionals emphasised direct one-to-one interaction, whereas young people prioritised low-intensity, indirect connection through shared content and activities. These perspectives informed a structured model combining user-informed content, asynchronous engagement and moderated live interaction to balance usability and safety. This work reconceptualises social connection as a design principle for supporting young people during treatment waits and provides an evaluable prototype.</p>