For Millennials. By Millennials.
It seems like YouTube is doing much more loss to society than we could have thought. And that too at the name of mental health. Isn’t it just shameful? Apparently, our favorite YouTubers have been making money off our miseries. Especially from fans who struggle with mental health issues. For some time now, YouTube video-makers with subscribers in the millions have been urging their followers to seek help from an online based counseling center- BetterHelp. What might have seemed noble at first is definitely nothing but purely selfish at their part. These stars get paid every time their viewers click on referral links to the BetterHelp website. And then eventually sign up on the platform. Recently, PewDiePie helped getting this BetterHelp scam exposed to the entire world. And that might be the only good thing to ever come out of him!
What Did PewDiePie Share?
BetterHelp has been much of a scandal after Drama Alert host Daniel KEEMSTAR called it a massive scam. Ever since things have just gotten worse for the counseling service. Now the matter has aggravated further as PewDiePie has given out many details explaining what the actual problems with BetterHelp are.
The Problems With ‘BetterHelp’
In a 13-minute long video, PewDiePie has dived into his strong criticism against the online scam BetterHelp. He has targeted the shady Terms of Service (TOS) of the site and explained that they are really not what they appear to be. He said that BetterHelp seems too good to be true. It seems great to have an online counseling service for help without having to leave the house. But well, that’s not the case. PewDiePie has elaborated a lot on his claims of BetterHelp being a scam.
Firstly, the YouTuber believes that their claims of charging only $65 per week go much deeper than that. He revealed that BetterHelp actually charges people on a monthly basis. And that implies that once the trial period ends, users will start getting charged $260 per month. Not just that, but being able to cancel at any time is also nothing but another scam.
Further, there is something really dark going on with the company’s TOS. Apparently, BetterHelp itself acknowledges that its services are not a substitute for face-to-face counseling. But they also do not guarantee the legitimacy of their services. Some days before PewDiePie released his video, the company deleted all its warranties from online platforms. According to his claims, BetterHelp did not take the responsibility to confirm the skills, degrees, qualifications, licenses, certifications, credentials, competence, or background of any counselor. And said that it was the duty of the receiver to confirm the credibility of any counselor they speak to.
How Do YouTubers Contribute To The Scam?
YouTubers who promote the service to their followers are surely in on the BetterHelp scam as well. Many of them claim to be diagnosed by the company itself. However, the TOS clearly stated that the platform is not intended for diagnosis at all. He also revealed that these YouTubers also make $200 per person when somebody signs up using their promo code. He concluded the video by calling out to these YouTubers that they should not make such deals when it comes to mental health.
The creator of BetterHelp Alon Matas rejected these claims calling them ridiculous. In a statement released, he said,
There is no better way to give people the courage to seek help than knowing that other people - despite being famous and successful - may be struggling as well.
He also claimed that the scam claims surfaced after YouTubers got into fights with one another. And that they are baselessly stemming from just one another.
If BetterHelp is a scam or not can not be said for sure. But if anything messes like this with mental health, it’s more than just sad.
