Suicide is a public health problem causing 800 000 deaths a year worldwide. A large number of interventions, among them mobile applications, digital devices and online resources, have shown promising results for its prevention. The purpose of the study was to conduct a literature review about the usefulness of mobile applications in primary health care to prevent suicide among adolescents and young adults. A bibliographic search was performed to identify mobile application-based suicide prevention strategies aimed at adolescents and young adults. Three information analysis / synthesis categories were established: needs of patients at risk of committing suicide, mobile health and suicide prevention, and limitations of suicide prevention applications. The literature indicates that mobile applications may be useful to manage mental disease, in conjunction with conventional therapy.