Pinterest is now signing on to the Inspired Internet Pledge, a new partnership with the Boston Children's Hospital - which will see Pinterest, and other tech companies, take various measures designed at better protecting young people who use their apps.
The pledge addresses negative mental health impacts coming from social media use.
As Pinterest explains:

All around the world, teens are going through a crisis in their mental health, and the role that social media platforms are playing in this crisis is under the lenses of intense scrutiny. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youth mental health has continued to worsen, with large increases in widespread reports of harmful experiences among teen girls. Nearly 3 in 5 U.S. teen girls reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, a ~60% increase and the highest level recorded over the last decade. End

And while there are countering studies that also emphasize positive aspects of social media connection, the prevailing weight of evidence does suggest that social media use is linked with negative behaviors, including bad comparison, bullying, exposure to disturbing content, and so on.

With the theme of 'making the internet a safer and healthier place for everybody, especially young people,' the Inspired Internet Pledge invites web-based businesses and social media platforms to join in.

Each signatory will write its own additional annex to the pledge specifying exactly what it will do to bring those principles to life in forms appropriate for the realities of their platform. Those company annexes will be housed in the Digital Wellness Lab and published to hold signatories accountable for their promises.

It's another step from Pinterest in making its platform a more positive space, with increased consideration for inclusivity, support, and wellness.

Since its focus is now on product discovery and not on direct interaction per se, Pinterest is likely less impacted than other platforms by these elements; however, it does have a big focus on beauty and fashion, which can also contribute to negative comparison and perceptual concerns.

This could be an important move in itself, and it is nice to see the willingness by Pinterest to stake its reputation on this, by publicly committing to fewer negative interactions.