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Research Report: Digital Health and Human Rights of Young Adults in Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam 

DHRP, University of Warwick

The final report of the Digital Health and Rights Project examines how young adults in Ghana, Kenya, and Vietnam experience the digital transformation of health care, focusing on the balance between opportunities for empowerment and risks to human rights. Using participatory action research, it explores how mobile technologies impact health access, autonomy, and governance.

Key insights include:

– Mobile phones and social media dominate young people’s access to health information, with preferences for anonymity and youth-friendly platforms.

– Structural barriers, such as gender, socio-economic disparities, and rural-urban divides, hinder equitable access to digital health services.

– Risks include health misinformation, cyber harassment, and limited redress for online harms, especially for marginalised groups.

– Governance gaps and weak data protection policies fail to address key challenges in digital health for young adults.

– Youth seek greater inclusion in policymaking and call for targeted solutions like free airtime, robust digital governance, and youth-centric app development.

This study highlights the urgent need for rights-based, inclusive digital health strategies that empower young adults while addressing inequities and governance challenges. Collaborative, youth-informed policymaking is essential to ensure equitable access and protection in digital health systems.