As a former educator and health teacher, I know there is a real sense of urgency for accessible health information among today’s youth. I distinctly remember the eagerness in my classroom for a Q&A health session, in which a student asked me if Diet Coke was an effective method of birth control. It may sound shocking, but many of today’s teens are not receiving adequate health education at home or in their schools.
Our friends over at Ypulse have proposed to build a widget or application for social media that would provide health resources to teens. They recently conducted a survey with ISIS, PeanutLabs and YouthNoise of 1,628 teens that was distributed across social network sites. The purpose was to determine what health issues are urgent to teens and to learn how teens are accessing health resources. What they found is a good start to understanding the needs and behaviors of the “wired” teen.
- More than 50% of young people aged 13 to 24 are accessing health and wellness information on the Internet
- Seventeen percent (17%) of the group visited online confessional sites or message boards to share something personal, 87% of whom reported positive experiences.
- Respondents across all ages, genders and race/ethnicities consistently identified STDs/HIV and drugs/substance abuse as their top health concerns.
- Youth stressed availability, interactivity, safety and anonymity of the potential resource.
Ypulse is finalizing their funding proposal, and they hope to design the application for both Facebook and MySpace/Open Social. In it they will include links and resources on relevant issues from existing organizations.
Teens are in an age of digital hyper-connectedness, and it’s only logical to leverage their existing networks to do good. Providing health information is one thing they desperately seek and need.
