Wales, England: Wales is testing an innovative augmented reality (AR) therapy app aimed at supporting teenagers dealing with anxiety and school attendance.
Developed with the help of Cardiff Youth Service, part of Cardiff Council’s education department, the mobile AR app is designed to reduce social isolation and enhance emotional wellbeing.
How this app works?
The app, which is being piloted in schools across Cardiff and Swansea, is the result of support sessions with youth in South Wales valleys. It was created by counsellor Angela McMillan, who was inspired by students facing anxiety and school avoidance.
The interactive experience allows users to design a flower, choose structural elements to support its growth, and select weather conditions, all of which can be superimposed into their physical surroundings via mobile devices.
The app integrates gaming elements, enabling users to explore emotions through creative expression.
According to initial research, the app has led to ‘a significant reduction in levels of anxiety’ and fostered ‘an increase in social connection’ among young people.
McMillan emphasized that technology, when shared collaboratively, can be a powerful tool for emotional development.
Young people who first tested the app through Cardiff Youth Service have provided encouraging feedback. The AR Therapy app also shows promise in supporting neurodivergent individuals by using visual tools to help them communicate how they feel.
McMillan added that, “A key element of this is that if we feel a sense of belonging, that improves our wellbeing and the way we want to interact with the world. A by-product of that might be that young people want to go back into education or attend in different ways.”
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes, welcomed the initiative, noting that school absenteeism has become a growing concern since the pandemic.
Cifuentes remarked that, “The world is evolving, technology is evolving, and where schools can use that effectively to support young people’s attendance, that’s to be welcomed.”
Cardiff Council echoed this sentiment, stating that young people played an integral role in shaping the app, giving them a voice and a communication tool tailored to their comfort and needs.
The app’s pilots in Swansea and Cardiff schools mark the next stage in exploring digital mental health interventions that blend technology with emotional support, offering an innovative response to one of education’s most pressing post-pandemic challenges.
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