Ryn Linthicum (they/them) is the Global Issue Policy Lead for Mental Health at TikTok. In this role, Ryn works to help develop and strengthen policies around suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders. Ryn’s approach to trust & safety work is informed by their studies of developmental psychopathology and peer influences on adolescent behavior, and their clinical training as a therapist. Their published research focuses on the prediction and prevention of suicidal and self-injurious behaviors, including the ethics of using machine learning models to predict clinical outcomes.

Prior to joining TikTok in 2021, Ryn's past roles include working as a project coordinator at UNC Chapel Hill's Developmental Psychopathology & Health Lab, as an Online Suicide and Crisis Intervention Specialist at Kristin Brooks Hope Center, and a research assistant at Harvard's Laboratory for Clinical and Developmental Research. Ryn received their Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Reed College and a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University.