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MIRROR XR: RECLAIMING DIGITAL SPACES FOR GEN Z MENTAL HEALTH
For millions of young people, the brightest screens are casting the darkest shadows. Scroll, swipe, play: Gen Z are hyperconnected yet profoundly lonely. While 1-in-7 struggle with mental illness, stigma poses the threat of imprisonment, locking them away from parents and professional help, enforcing a cycle of silence and social isolation, causing most to escape into the digital world, where they form virtual relationships in online gaming and parasocial relationships with AI companions. Globally, 77% Gen Z say games reduce stress. However, virtual escapism tends to numb rather than heal. This pattern of avoidance may lead to digital addiction, isolation, and, in the worst-case scenario, has caused premature mortality. The global epidemic of youth mental health is underfunded, with governments dedicating only 2% health budgets to mental health: crisis response outweighs prevention. Therefore, everyday challenges spiral into adverse outcomes. The UNICEF Global Coalition for
Youth Mental Health raises the importance of awareness, emotional literacy, capacity building, and challenging stigma through an intergenerational, whole- of-community approach. Mirror XR embodies this call and contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequalities, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and Partnerships for the Goals. Mirror XR, Australia’s first AI-hosted AR/VR storyliving experience and AI-XR EdTech for Future Skills and Digital Mental Health, stands among the world’s pioneering research-driven and clinically-informed innovations for preventive mental health, empowering young people while acting as a catalyst for social change at the grassroots level, enabling schools, universities, and councils to co-create safer digital futures. Mirror XR is inclusively designed to support both neurodivergent and neurotypical
learners in honing emotional literacy, gaming psychology, immersive literacy, and AI safety. Meet, talk, and interact with Mira.AI, a friendly AI-vtuber, as she co-hosts a safe fireside chat, fostering personal insight and emotional growth. Guided by Mira. AI, players help Kira Clairmont deal with imposter syndrome, failure, and cyberbullying in safe spaces that foster empathy. Mirror XR repurposes the platforms young people escape to, into reflective emotional mirrors for the whole generation, encouraging young people to explore and embrace challenges, break silence, and reduce stigma one story at a time. Supported by the Mental Health Commissioner of South Australia (SAMHC), co-designed with Gen Z, and delivered in partnership with Australian universities, Mirror XR provides a scalable and evidence- based model aligned to education and health priorities. “Our theory of change is to co-create a future where young people thrive and live healthily in both the physical and digital worlds,” said Christel Cherryadi, founder of Mirror XR.
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