*Check back in for the published report and join our webinar on May 12th at link below!*
Co-created with over 300 young adults from rural, urban and peri-urban Kenya, Ghana, Vietnam and Colombia, this report shares insights into how marginalised young adults are paying the costs of connecting to health information and services online.
Key findings:
• Many participants described struggling to get online, due to cost of smartphones and data bundles, lack of Wi-Fi, lack of digital skills, or lack of ability to assess reliable health information. Young women faced greater challenges due to financial dependence and intimate surveillance by partners and family members.
• People living with HIV and members of stigmatised groups said fears of poor data protection and of being outed to family and the community made them reluctant to seek or share health information online.
• Three-quarters of young adults described technology-facilitated abuse, including verbal abuse, doxxing, stalking, blackmail, and extortion. Gay men and other men who have sex with men in Ghana, and transgender sex workers in Colombia, told how the abuse moved from online to in-person, and included severe forms of physical violence. Abuse appeared increasingly normalised among young adults.
• HIV activists and peer outreach workers said their online visibility exposed them to virulent abuse and threats.
• Few young adults reported success when reporting abuse to online platforms or the police.
• Some were reluctant to report abuse to the police, either because they were not sure whether the abuse was legal; or because laws criminalizing sex work and same-sex sexual relations in their countries meant survivors might themselves face criminal charges; or because of past experiences of police abuse.
• When all other systems failed, community-led groups were a key source of support. In Vietnam, the study’s project advisory committee spontaneously mobilised to respond to viral online abuse. This showed that, in their view, community-led HIV advocacy networks could be effective in addressing online harm.
• Despite their concerns, study participants expressed resilience, determination and a strong interest in getting training in-person and online about their rights, artificial intelligence (AI), safety, navigating misinformation, and more, tailored to their specific needs; we call this “digital empowerment”.
• Many had optimistic visions of the future and called for greater accountability and transparency online, to ensure this future is realised.
The report shares recommendations for policymakers, governments, tech companies and funders. Young adults in the study will lead advocacy at national levels.
Read the report [Coming May 12th].
Read the executive summary and recommendations [Coming May 12th].
Read the global policy brief [Coming May 12th].