Ask ReachOut FAQs

Ask ReachOut is for young people in Australia aged 12–25. If you’re a parent or carer looking for support for yourself or your child, visit ReachOut Parents. Teachers and educators can find classroom resources, information and support at ReachOut Schools.

Ask ReachOut covers a wide range of topics, including relationships, study stress, identity, confidence building, and much more. Its core function is to use information from our library of mental health and wellbeing resources to help you understand what you’re experiencing and to offer relevant support options. This includes connecting you to services where you can get help from real people, such as ReachOut’s PeerChat or Orygen’s MOST. 

Ask ReachOut isn’t a counsellor, therapist or companion AI. It can’t give you mental health or medical diagnoses, recommend specific services in your area, or give you definitive advice on your personal situation. If you’re looking for a mental health diagnosis, start by speaking to a GP, or visit Medicare Mental Health to connect with professional support.

AI chatbots aren’t designed to understand the full details of your unique situation. Some conversations are too complex or unsafe for Ask ReachOut, and are better had with a human. At any point, Ask ReachOut may end the conversation and direct you to a real person who can help.

See What happens if I disclose that I’m at risk of harm?

Yes, using Ask ReachOut is completely free.

Ask ReachOut is available 24/7, whenever you need it.

There is no limit to how many new conversations you can start with Ask ReachOut. However, Ask ReachOut isn't designed to have lengthy, detailed chats. These types of conversations are a bit too complex and are best had with a human. If Ask ReachOut can't offer you the most effective support, it will direct you to human support.

Like all AI-powered chats, Ask ReachOut can make mistakes. If you get a response that doesn’t seem right, let us know using the flag icon on the right side of the chat box.

To give feedback or report a technical issue, select the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon on the left side of the chat box, then leave your comments or questions in the text field.

If you get a response that isn’t what you’re expecting, or you want to report an incorrect or inappropriate response, use the flag icon on the right side of the chat box.

Ask ReachOut was co-designed with young people to ensure it met key needs and desires. We drew insights from workshops, user testing, and over 10,000 real user queries from the pilot tool. We saw how important it was to feel understood when opening up to the tool about your challenges and experiences.

Ask ReachOut is built using conversational AI and evidence-based ReachOut resources. It analyses what you've written to determine your goal and the most helpful next steps. If it can't do this, it will ask you to provide more information about your unique situation or support needs. It understands that everyone is different, and support isn't one size fits all.

We’re continuously improving the tool, working with young people to shape its understanding.

It’s important to us that whatever we create is aligned with ReachOut’s values. With Ask ReachOut, we set out to design a human-centred, efficient and safe service that benefits our audience.

We know that young people care deeply about sustainable practices. This was one of the driving forces behind our decision to use Google Gemini to power Ask ReachOut. Google has committed to developing energy-efficient technologies and sustainable practices. These practices reduce the energy and water use, and carbon emissions from AI technologies. See Google’s 2025 Environmental Report for more information about their sustainability strategy.

Ask ReachOut is designed to get you to the information you’re looking for in as few steps as possible. In-built restrictions, such as chat limits, help to reduce environmental impact.

Ask ReachOut features a custom-built Care Layer, designed to keep you safe, and your data secure. It does this by:

• Only drawing from one trusted source. Many AI products scan the entire internet to source information. This means answers can draw on unverified and potentially harmful information. Ask ReachOut only sources information from ReachOut’s evidence-backed and clinically reviewed resources. 

• De-identifying all conversations. Any identifying personal information is scrubbed to ensure you stay anonymous. 

• Detecting risk. If you’re at risk, it will step in and guide you towards Urgent Help or emergency services.

Ask ReachOut is not a crisis service. It isn’t designed to understand and respond to risk in the same way a human can. If you disclose that you are at risk, an automatic response will trigger, directing you to the appropriate services, and your session will end. We do this to help you connect with a real person sooner and to help keep you safe. 

When there is a serious and identifiable threat to safety, we may need to act on this information. This can involve disclosing the information to child protection agencies or the police, as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

If you want to talk to someone right now, you can find crisis support options on our Urgent Help page.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call emergency services on 000.

To access mental health support from a real person at ReachOut, you can chat for free with a PeerChat peer worker. PeerChat is available for people aged 16–25 in Australia, Monday to Thursday, 3-8 pm, and on Friday, 11.30 am-4.30 pm.