BetterHelp Controversy Explained

BetterHelp has ads everywhere and is almost always recommended by celebrities and every popular YouTuber. The online therapy platform has been promoted as an affordable, safe, and convenient in connecting people with the perfect therapist. It remains an affordable and convenient online therapy platform, but controversy over its data safety has caused fear and doubt about the credibility and safety of online therapy platforms.

The rise of mental health awareness is making people look for mental health professionals who can help them understand and manage their conditions. When figuring out where to start, the average person who has never been to therapy most likely considers going to the doctor but doesn’t know which one to go to. Some others might not even have a therapist in their area. That’s the common problem BetterHelp aims to solve, and in 2022, it was reported that BetterHelp served 2.5 million patients.

Despite its credible presentation, BetterHelp was caught selling data to Facebook, Snapchat, Criteo, and Pinterest. The company recently settled for $7.8 million.

The FTC confirmed that BetterHelp pushed people into handing over health information. In spite of advertising that patient data will remain private and safe, patient metadata was sent to Facebook and other aforementioned social media companies for further advertisement targeting. This doesn’t directly allow the third party to see the contents of the metadata, but it gives the third party access to therapy bookings, time in therapy, and the patient’s location, among other things.

Aside from data leaks, BetterHelp also got flak for not paying therapists after exceeding an imposed word limit. The reasoning behind the word limits is unexplained, but many professionals have been alarmed by this policy. The below-industry standard wages that the therapists receive from BetterHelp and 24-hour access to therapy have also been criticized by practitioners.

Does this mean that the future of online therapy is doomed? It’s too early to say, but there is data that suggests that telemedicine is effective. Regardless of the outcomes, whether online therapy can handle confidential data as safely as traditional therapy remains to be seen.

(featured image: Tetiana Soares)