UK - The MHRA has just released new guidance on using digital mental health technologies

UK - The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) has just released new guidance on using digital mental health technologies - a timely reminder that safety, evidence, and human experience must go hand in hand. These new online resources, created with NHS England and Wellcome Trust, help the public, carers, and professionals understand what safe, effective digital tools look like, and what to do if something doesn’t feel right. This matters deeply for anyone designing, delivering, or recommending digital support, especially as more people turn to apps and virtual tools for their mental health. It’s also a call to action for experience workers and those with experiential expertise. People with lived experience are not just users of these tools — they are co-creators of safety and trust. Their insights into what “good support feels like” can strengthen how these tools are tested, regulated, and improved. The MHRA and NICE - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have already worked with people with lived experience to shape this guidance, a vital step in embedding experiential knowledge at the heart of mental health innovation. As we move toward a more digital future in mental health care, one question stands out: How can we ensure experiential expertise remains a core pillar - alongside clinical evidence and regulation - in shaping what “safe and effective” truly means?