Social Media Is Failing Teen Girls. This Atlanta Founder Is Building A Wellness-First Alternative.

Social media platforms just aren’t built for the well-being of its users, says Atlanta entrepreneur Cindy Abel.

That is particularly true for teenage girls, for whom such platforms create a “cycle of comparison, perfectionism, and curated content that chips away at self-worth,” Abel told Hypepotamus.

“Many tell us they feel worse after using these apps than before,” she added.

Creating a better, more constructive place for online social connections is near to Abel’s heart. She is founder of the platform Vescent, the mentor-led digital community is designed specifically for young women and teenage girls to connect with peers based on interests and experiences.

The name, inspired by the word  “effervescent”, the app builds a positive community experience based on skill-building and mentoring. Vescent users can access a “network of trained and qualified, age-appropriate female mentors” from inside the app. The app platform uses evidence-based content developed through Vescent’s partner Resiliency Technologies, which is headquartered in San Diego and is operating in California, Georgia, South Carolina, and New York.

“Through [Resiliency Technologies’] Sharpen platform, we can deliver peer-focused, mental wellness content rooted in best practices.  Sharpen resiliency toolkits are age-appropriate and have been shown to decrease stigma and improve mental health literacy,” Abel added. “This ensures that what we deliver, through our mentors and app, is grounded, trusted, and impactful. As importantly, we center youth voice in everything we build — from app features to group content — ensuring that teens shape the experience in ways that resonate with their real lives.”

Reimagining Social Media for Teen Girls

The B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) startup works directly with schools and teen-focused organizations. In its early days, Vescent launched a pilot with Mount Vernon School in Atlanta through the school’s Innovation Diplomas (ID) program. The four-year, invitation-only track is designed for Mount Vernon high schoolers who “think like entrepreneurs and act like consultants,” said Chief Brand Officer, Michele Koch, at Mount Vernon School.

The program at Mount Vernon helped Vescent develop and expand its platform, helping the startup “reimagine” how it delivers mental health content. Students suggested things like “audio reflections, guided journaling prompts, and even mood-driven design themes that change based on how a user feels,” the team added, which helped guide the early stages of the Vescent user experience.

“These are not theoretical classroom projects. iD students work directly with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and start-ups like ours to tackle real-world problems. Their professionalism, creative confidence, and capacity for systems thinking rival that of junior analysts or design strategists. Vescent was in extraordinary company — previous collaborators include the CDC, Chick-fil-A, Mercedes-Benz, and The Home Depot,” Koch added.

On top of working with schools, Vescent also offers a “direct-to-consumer subscription for families who want access independently,” said Abel. In its pilot phase, Vescent is free. The long-term plan is to rollout a “tiered pricing model focused on accessibility and affordability,” Abel added.

Vescent is also launching a program with the FCS Innovation Academy in Alpharetta, Abel told Hypepotamus. The app startup has received early backing from a "mission-aligned" angel investor.

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--Photos provided by Vescent and Mount Vernon School