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Adolescent and young adult use of Soluna, a free, confidential digital mental health and wellbeing platform: A statewide retrospective analysis in its first year
ABSTRACT
Background:
Adolescents and young adults are experiencing rising rates of anxiety and depression, yet many do not access traditional mental health services. Barriers, such as cost, transportation, wait times, and concerns about stigma or privacy, prevent youth from seeking care. Free, low barrier, and confidential digital mental health platforms offer an alternative way to deliver support, but little is known about who uses these platforms and how users engage with them when they are universally and publicly available for all youth and young adults.
Objective:
The objectives of this study were to describe the users and use of Soluna in California during its first year by examining who used the platform, their geographic location, and how they engaged with Soluna features and content. We also sought to understand users’ experiences with the platform through indicators of satisfaction and to identify early signals of sustained engagement by examining patterns of return.
Methods:
We analyzed deidentified platform data from January 1 to December 31, 2024, for 20,933 California users aged 13-25. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics, location, referral sources, mental health screening scores, engagement with content, tools, peer community, coaching, care navigation, and safety features, as well as satisfaction. Logistic regression was used to examine whether age, referral source, and feature engagement predicted returning to the platform.
Results:
Soluna reached users across all 58 California counties, with 49.8% (10,425/20,933) aged 13-17 and 50.2% (10,508/20,933) aged 18-25. Engagement was highest for self-guided tools (79.8%; 16,700/20,933) and content (49.3%; 10,322/20,933; median = 2 pieces viewed). Peer community was accessed by 17.5% (3,663/20,933) and coaching by 9.5% (1,987/20,933; median = 1 session). Overall, 41.0% (8,575/20,933) of users returned to the platform, with higher odds of return among younger users, those referred in person, and those who engaged with coaching (OR = 11.9, 95% CI = 9.45-15.20, p< .001). Satisfaction was high, with 94.3% of content feedback (2,799/2,969), 98.8% of coaching feedback (949/961), and 98.8% of safety feedback (81/82) rated positively.
Conclusions:
During its first year, Soluna reached adolescents and young adults across California. Users engaged meaningfully with both self-guided and connection-oriented features. Coaching and in-person referrals were strongly associated with return, underscoring the importance of human connection for sustained engagement. These findings add to understanding how a statewide, freely available digital mental health platform is accessed and used in real-world settings and can guide efforts to refine outreach, optimize engagement, and support continuity of care across adolescence and young adulthood.
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