Teen Siblings Create App for Peers in Distress

Meet Teenprenuers Hannah and Charlie Lucas the creators the notOK App™.  This digital panic button just launched and has already had thousands of sign ups and closed their first investor.  

With all that’s happening in the news, we constantly hear about teen suicides, bullying and many other horrific things going on with teens. Eleven percent of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 suffered from at least one major depressive episode in 2017.

This however, is a story about a teen, Hannah Lucas using her own medical condition as the spark to create an app to help other teens in need. The notOK App™ was created as a solution. After developing POTS last year, a condition that caused then 15-year-old Hannah Lucas to faint, she was terrified of being alone. Her fears quickly spiraled into anxiety and deep depression.  During one of Hannah’s lowest moments, alone in her room and contemplating self-harm, she thought, “What if there was a button I could press and someone would immediately know I was not okay?”, that was the birth of notOK App™.

In times of need, it can feel insurmountable to even compose a text message or place a phone call to get the support you need, tapping a button makes reaching out less of an obstacle. I would also be happy to supply a code for you to try for free.

Georgia-based teen entrepreneurs Hannah and Charlie Lucas launch notOK App™, a digital panic button to get immediate support from a trusted group of pre-selected people.  notOK™ launched in January 2018 in honor of  #LetsTalkDay, a day to bring awareness to mental health conversations. 

notOK App™ was created as a solution. After developing POTS last year, a condition that caused then 15-year-old Hannah Lucas to faint, she was terrified of being alone. Her fears quickly spiraled into anxiety and deep depression, which led to self-harm. During one of Hannah’s lowest moments, alone in her room and contemplating self-harm, she thought, “What if there was a button I could press and someone would immediately know I was not okay?”, that was the birth of notOK App™.

The notOK App™ makes asking for help when you're feeling vulnerable as simple as pressing a button. To use notOK™, simply open the app, tap the notOK™ Button and a text message will be sent to up to 5 pre-selected contacts that reads: "Hey, I'm not OK. Please call me, text me, or come find me,” along with a link to your current GPS location.

In times of need, it can feel insurmountable to even compose a text message or place a phone call to get the support you need, tapping a button makes reaching out less of an obstacle. Whether you're a teen or an adult suffering from loneliness, anxiety, depression, stress, suicidal thoughts, or anything else, immediate help is only the tap of a button away.

notOK™ is available in iOS and Android versions.

About the Founders:

After developing POTS, a condition that causes her to faint, then 15-year-old Hannah Lucas, was terrified of being alone. What would happen to her if she fainted and no one was around? Hannah’s fears quickly spiraled into anxiety and deep depression, which led to self-harm. By the end of her freshman year of high school, she missed 196 classes due to her condition. It was during one of Hannah’s lowest moments, alone in her room and contemplating self-harm, when the idea for the notOK App™ was born. What if there was a button she could press and someone would immediately know she was not okay? When her condition stabilized, Hannah was able to take coding and entrepreneurship classes at local colleges, which empowered her to see her vision through.

Watching his older sister suffer from a disorder made Charlie Lucas feel utterly helpless. He couldn’t drive her to doctor appointments. He couldn’t make her better. He couldn’t even catch her when she fainted. But Charlie knew he could step in to help his sister when she told him about an idea for an app she’d had. With the family nickname, “Tech Support,” Charlie went to work. He wireframed the app’s basic premise and figured out the best workflow. He even built Hannah a website and created their first logo. Charlie is responsible for any updates, design ideas, and developer approvals. He’s already began initial planning for their next app.