Crocheted Pizzas Keychains for Mental Wellness? Seriously?

Recently in Singapore, 20,000 crocheted "pizzas"-shaped keychains were handed out to promote mental wellness among youth. The idea? The “Positivity Pizza” keychains are designed to encourage young people to speak out when they experience bullying.

It made the headlines. It made some people smile.

But I can’t help asking—is this really what we’ve come to?

Mental health isn’t a marketing stunt. And young people deserve more than keychains and a hotline.

We’ve spent the last few years flooding schools, social media, and classrooms with “awareness campaigns.” But if awareness alone could solve the mental health crisis, we’d be done by now. Are we still raising awareness, or are we just raising noise?

The truth is, we’re still avoiding the hard stuff.

We’re throwing gimmicks at a generation that’s silently drowning in

• Academic burnout/pressure

  
  

• Online Comparison

  
  

• Performance Anxiety

  
  

• A sense of pressure they can’t even name

And we offer a crocheted "pizza"-shaped keychain? Are we not risking infantilising an entire generation if we keep replacing depth with dopamine?

I get it—it’s “non-threatening.” It’s “cute.” It gets attention.

But at some point, we need to grow up and admit: surface-level outreach doesn’t fix deep wounds.

What young people really need are safe spaces, not slogans.

They need ongoing, trusted relationships—not one-day events.

They need support systems that understand trauma, not campaigns that dance around it.

They need tools to equip themselves to adapt to the challenging environment that they are in, which may not be their choice.

What Real Interventions Look Like

Here’s what meaningful, on-the-ground support could look like:

• Peer-led support groups (not just one-off workshops)

• Digital detox camps or community-based mindfulness retreats

• School-based partnerships with brain training or trauma -informed care (yes, like NeurOptimal®) or mindfulness training

• Trained adult mentors, not just counsellors, who walk with youth over time

• Mental health education that goes beyond coping tips and digs into emotional regulation, identity, and resilience

Stop Making Mental Health “Trendy”

Mental health is not a marketing angle. It’s not an engagement tool for schools, brands, or politicians. It's a deep, complex journey that requires respect, time, and real tools (and money). It’s not always fun, easy, or viral—and that’s okay.

So let’s stop sugar-coating it with...

Now, don't get me wrong. This isn’t about bashing creativity. But when creativity replaces connection, we’ve missed the point.

If we keep sugar-coating mental health with snacks, glitter, and Instagram filters, we risk teaching our youth that mental wellness is supposed to feel light and fun—when sometimes it’s about facing hard truths in safe company.

Let’s do better.

Because mental health isn’t a trend. It’s real. It’s raw. And it deserves more than a slice of positivity.