Every day, many young Australians hide the reality of how they’re feeling due to things like stigma or judgement. New research* has found that 68 per cent of young people deflect the question or commonly respond with “I’m fine” when asked how they are feeling, with 3 in 5 young Aussies using phrases like “I’m fine,” “I’m good” or “I’m okay” up to 10 times a week, 40 times a month and 520 times a year. 

Doritos has partnered with youth mental health organisation, ReachOut, to encourage young people to start a conversation and check in with themselves. 

At a time when mental illness is at an all time high (a whopping 72 per cent of Australians have felt emotionally or mentally down in the last year), Doritos has changed its packaging across its entire range to feature a “Be Bold. Reach Out” message. The new packs feature a QR code on the pack which, once scanned, opens ReachOut’s Checking In With Yourself Quiz that has been designed to help young people track how they’re feeling and provide steps to take if they feel like they need some additional advice or support.

“We’re proud to partner with ReachOut because we believe people should feel confident and comfortable checking in with themselves and expressing how they feel. It’s an incredible online mental health service that is available for anyone 24/7 and we think more people need to know these services exist and are easy to use. We are using the power of our voice and our brand platform, with three months of media and 13 millions packs in market, to remind people to ‘Be Bold and Reach Out’ and access this amazing network when they need it,” said Vandita Pandey, CMO at PepsiCo.

Making time to recognise and acknowledge your feelings can be a great way for young people in Australia to keep on top of their mental health. Asking a simple question like “how am I feeling on a scale of 1 to 10” can help to identify whether they need to take some time out, practise some self-care or seek some support.

Ashley de Silva, CEO of ReachOut, said that finding practical strategies to prevent “everyday” issues from becoming bigger can be really beneficial. 

“Being able to check in with yourself and openly acknowledge that you might be having a “tough day” is such a big and important step in all of our mental health journeys.

“After a challenging few years for young people in Australia, conversation and connection is so important and we are proud to be partnering with a brand like Doritos to increase youth mental health awareness and encourage people to check in with themselves and each other,” he said.