(CNBC) Therapy app makers are rushing to meet a flood of new customers, but health experts remain divided on the regulatory path ahead as privacy and efficacy concerns mount.
As of early April, nearly half of Americans said the pandemic was having a negative effect on their mental health, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. With in-person therapy paused amid ongoing shelter-in-place restrictions, people are turning to their smartphones for help. According to app market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, first-time downloads of the top 20 mental wellness apps in the U.S. hit 4 million in April. That’s up 29 percent from 3.1 million in January.By contrast, first-time downloads of the top 20 such apps fell 30 percent during the same period last year.