Kooth plc, the leading provider of digital mental health services for children and young people in the UK, has secured a major one-year contract to extend its platform to around 100,000 students in the United States. The agreement, finalised in mid-January 2026, represents Kooth’s largest single deployment outside the UK and signals accelerating demand for accessible, anonymous mental health support in American schools amid rising adolescent anxiety, depression, and self-harm rates.

Under the contract, Kooth will deliver its fully moderated online platform where young people can access self-guided resources, chat with trained moderators, join moderated peer support groups, and book one-to-one counselling sessions all without requiring parental consent or school staff involvement for initial engagement. The service operates 24/7/365, is available in English and Spanish, and includes built-in crisis escalation pathways to local emergency services or school counsellors when needed.

The platform’s anonymity and ease of access have been key drivers of its success in the UK, where Kooth supports over 3 million users annually and has demonstrated strong clinical outcomes in peer-reviewed studies. U.S. school districts participating in the rollout cited similar needs: high student-to-counsellor ratios, stigma around mental health, and limited in-school resources challenges made more acute by post-pandemic learning loss and social isolation.

Kooth has adapted its platform to meet stringent U.S. requirements, including full compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The service will be offered at no direct cost to students or families, funded through the school districts’ mental health budgets, federal ESSER/ARP grants, and private philanthropy.

Arvind Ramkrishna, CEO of Kooth, commented: “American students face unprecedented mental health challenges, and schools are often the first and sometimes only place they turn for help. This contract allows us to bring our proven, scalable model to a new audience, delivering immediate support while generating valuable data to inform national policy and practice.”

The rollout will begin in spring 2026 across multiple districts in states including California, Texas, Florida, and New York, with phased onboarding and continuous monitoring of usage, engagement, and clinical outcomes. Kooth has committed to independent evaluation by third-party researchers to build a robust U.S.-specific evidence base.

The contract is seen as a pivotal moment for Kooth’s international growth strategy, following successful entry into the U.S. market in 2025. It also reflects broader recognition among U.S. educators and policymakers that digital-first mental health solutions can complement not replace school-based counselling, especially in under-resourced districts.