Angsty teenagers locking up themselves in their rooms listening to sad rock ballads or punk music is more than just a stereotype - it can have adverse affects on their mental health.

The average young person listens to music for up to five hours a day and even more during bouts of depression.

With one in 35 young people in Australia experiencing depression, a new interactive app, Moody Tunes, launched on Wednesday and turns this listening time into a tool that could help young people understand and manage their mental health.

Moody Tunes, drawing on evidence-based psychological therapies and more than 10 years of research, works in the background as users listen to music in Spotify by prompting them to record the effect music has on their moods.

It allows users to create playlists of the music they love which best support their well-being.

Sandra Garrido, from Western Sydney University's MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, who developed the app, said while most would assume music is good for us, it can also have a negative effect on mental health.

Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor underscored the importance of mental health support for young people.

"It's really important that we continue to develop more appealing ways to engage young people to learn more about their own mental health," she said.

"We know that navigating adulthood can be a challenging time for young people and demand for specialist mental health services for young people has increased at a higher rate than for other age groups."

The interactive app is available to download on the Apple store and Google Play for android users.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)