MetLife, a market-leading benefits provider, and their exclusive partner Aura, today announced an entirely new category of online protections for employers and their workforces nationwide, which complement their traditional Identity and Fraud Protection offering. These first-of-their-kind, AI-based tools are designed to empower employees to protect their families from the mental health and physical harm of the online world.
The magnitude of the issue for an entire generation of children is stark. Today, 40% of high school students experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness1 and more than 20% of adolescents were diagnosed with mental or behavioral health conditions including anxiety and depression2.
An employee’s mental health is deeply connected to this growing concern and impacts their holistic health and wellbeing, influencing their performance and satisfaction at work. MetLife’s latest research3 finds 84% of employers agree that increasing employee mental wellbeing is an important benefits objective, up from 71% just five years ago, underscoring the importance of this new capability. With Aura’s research showing 86% of parents express some concern and 24% express extreme concern about their child’s online safety4, it’s clear employers’ mental health benefit concerns must now extend beyond their employees to that of their children.
“We recognize the growing concerns families have when it comes to their children’s online behaviors and how it impacts their mental health. Aura’s suite of online safety and mental balance tools, enable us to help employers support their employees and families in protecting mental health and safeguarding in the online world,” said Pedja Arandjelovic, head of Identity and Fraud Protection Business, Group Benefits at MetLife. “With Aura’s innovative technology, we are paving the way for a new frontier in benefit offerings to support employee mental health as online risks grow more pervasive.”
Aura’s new tools provide parents with the summarized insights they need to know their kid is okay, while respecting the child’s privacy5. The tools analyze language patterns, online tone, emotional expressions, and late-night activity with an easy-to-digest report that showcases the way their child interacts with apps, platforms, and websites. Beyond safety, it even assesses social styles, offering insights into their digital relationships and helps parents nurture their child’s strengths.
Aura’s in-house team works alongside members of the Digital Parenthood Coalition including Boston Children’s Hospital and Aura’s Parent and Teen Panels to incorporate clinical expertise with real-world insight as they shape and refine each feature.
Some of the child mental health focused developments that employees will have access to in the coming months include:
- Online behavior trends keeping your kid up at night
- Device habits that may be distracting your kid during the school day
- Changes in time spent on social media, gaming or chatting with AI
- Alerts to known indicators of potential serious health concerns like suicide or self-harm
“Our kids’ lives have shifted to a boundless, invisible online world. Without a window into what’s happening online, we can’t hope to succeed in our primary role as parents. And if we aren’t succeeding at home, then we won’t excel at work,” said Hari Ravichandran, founder and CEO of Aura. “My own kids were struggling, and I didn’t know, because it was masked behind their screens. I needed a solution that didn’t exist, so we built one.”
MetLife is committed to delivering best-in-class solutions for employers while addressing the growing needs of their employees. The enhanced Identity and Fraud Protection product will be made available to all new and existing MetLife customers starting July 2025.
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