Group 1—Family Planning Digital Literacy Review (Facilitator: Catherine Harbour, Senior Program Officer, Breakthrough ACTION)
Catherine Harbour described the project’s ongoing research on common strengths and pitfalls of educating youth on FP/RH via online methods. Harbour and her team have found that digital tools can be effective in connecting with youth. This is especially true when content fits their needs and is distributed through a variety of platforms youth already use.
Unfortunately, certain populations still have limited access to online content, suggesting that interventions should still be hosted in both on- and offline settings. In addition, the majority of available content is directed at girls or young women; boys and young men may have a harder time finding platforms and resources that address their specific needs.
The discussion focused on building trust between adult educators and young audiences. Participants shared how valuable it is for educators to keep up with new trends and create content that reflects what youth, parents, and families want at a given time. Funding and budgets should account for not only the creation of educational content but also for keeping existing campaigns up to date.
Youth appreciate how FP/RH information can be accessed online in a manner that seems relatively private and bias-free. However, participants noted that young people still require more education on media literacy and online safety skills. Otherwise, they may find it difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction.