Table 2.

Design considerations of mental health CAs^a for youth (N=39).

Dimensions and codes				Value, n (%)		Key trends
Target audience						Most of the mental health CAs were designed for older and general youth populations
	Age group
		Youth or young adults	22 (56)
		Adolescent	12 (31)
		College students	6 (15)
	Health condition
		General youth	27 (69)
		At-risk youth	12 (31)
CA goals and health context						Most mental health CAs for youth are designed to provide Educational or informational support to promote the general mental well-being therapeutic support to alleviate mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress
	Health context
		Mental well-being	15 (38)
		Depression	12 (31)
		Anxiety	9 (23)
		Stress	8 (20)
		Substance use	3 (8)
		Body image	2 (5)
		Phone addiction	1 (3)
	CA goals
		Treatment	25 (64)
		Education or training	22 (56)
		Informational	15 (38)
		Assessment	10 (26)
		Monitoring	2 (5)
		Behavioral change	2 (5)
	CA role and characteristic					Most mental health CAs for youth were designed to be life coaches or older peer mentors in friendly and empathetic tones with few options to personalize agent characters
	CA role
		Coach or peer	11 (28)
		Health care professional	7 (18)
	CA characteristics
		Friendly	16 (41)
		Empathetic	11 (28)
		Culture specific	4 (10)
		Gender specific	3 (8)
		Simple and factual	2 (5)
	Personalization
		CA character	5 (13)
		App appearance	1 (3)
		User avatar	1 (3)
	Safety features					Most of the mental health CAs did not have the safety features in place
		Reminder	12 (31)
		Emergency contact	10 (26)
		Alert to adults or experts	2 (5)

^aCA: conversational agent.