Mediacorp launches mental health awareness campaign featuring Elmo

Mediacorp's weekly current affairs programme Talking Point has launched a public awareness campaign on mental health starring Sesame Street character, Elmo.

To launch the "#WhoIsCheckingIn" campaign, the Talking Point team reached out to nonprofit educational organisation Sesame Workshop to work on a video message helmed by Elmo.

The aim was for Elmo to kickstart a nationwide conversation by being the first to "check in" on Singaporeans, and for the video message to encourage viewers to be open about their emotions

In the heartwarming video, Elmo says: "Hello Singapore, Elmo's just checking in. How's everybody doing?"

The video then prompted users to share how they were feeling through a comment, a direct message to CNA Insider or by stitching the TikTok video.

The Talking Point's "#WhoIsCheckingIn" campaign focuses on the importance of checking in when it comes to supporting mental health.

This is tied to recent surveys, including a poll released this year by the Institute of Policy Studies, that point to the loneliness and social isolation faced by young Singaporeans.

This video message for Talking Point was inspired by a viral tweet sent earlier this year via Elmo's X account, in which Elmo asked his followers how they were doing.

"Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?" it read.

The post quickly began to go viral with 191.4 million views and 16,000 people replying to Elmo and letting him know their honest struggles. Some spoke about losing their jobs, broken relationships, mental health struggles and more.

The tweet also opened up a conversation on mental health in the US. In the hopes of accomplishing the same effect in Singapore, the Talking Point team approached Sesame Workshop to collaborate on a video to launch its own social media campaign, with a bigger emphasis placed on the importance of checking in.

Talking Point enlisted the help of Mediacorp's stable of personalities and influencers to spread the word and share the video message when it launched on 10 July.

The team will also roll out activities aimed at highlighting the importance of checking in with one another, and exploring what it takes to alleviate loneliness and social isolation over the next few months.

So far, influencer Preeti Nair, or Preetipls, has posted a reel in response to the video of Elmo saying that she was not doing great.

"I don't know, Elmo, maybe you can relate because the last month has got me feeling like my world's on fire. Thank you for checking in though," she says.

"I don't know if you can tell but I've been spiralling quite a bit. But it's moments like these that remind me that I can just hit pause, take stock of what's going on in my life and remind myself to just breathe," she said.

Nair added that this was a sign to check in on your loved ones. "This is your sign from both Elmo and I to check in on yourself and your loved ones and it is okay to take time to process your big feelings." she wrote in the caption.

Since then, other personalities and even politicians have hopped onto the video such as Das DD, Shrey Bhargava, Steven Chia, Chan Chuan Sing, Wan Rizal, Rahayu Mahzam, Rachel Ong and more.

An on-ground "Confessions in exchange for a sketch" event will also be held at Paya Lebar Quarter Mall and Raffles City Shopping Centre. The Talking Point team will encourage young adults to share on camera the times they have felt lonely in Singapore during the five to 10 minutes it takes for an artist to draw their portrait.

The campaign will culminate in an episode that airs on 10 October, World Mental Health Day.

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