BodiMojo Blog

By Remy Marin

The rate of infection of some sexually transmitted diseases – specifically Chlamydia – is more than double the national average for Boston teens between the ages of 15 and 19 years. But a new safe sex campaign by the Boston Public Health Commission hopes to harness the power of social networking – Facebook, YouTube and cable – to fight the rampant spread of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) in the New England area. On Facebook, kids will be able to post anonymous questions about sexual health and get answers from experts. On YouTube and cable channels, campaign videos will air that feature teens, not adults.  The campaign also plans to send groups of teenagers to do street performances around Boston.

Tara Cousineau, BodiMojo founder, quoted on ABC News about the campaign, says the viral messaging approach is an important first step – but “the part that is still a challenge is how to get the messages to sink in.”

As a teen myself, I asked some of my friends, a group of BodiMojo interns, what their reaction was to the youth-driven STD campaign.

Lea Guise, a Quinnipiac University physical therapy student, says, “I especially like the Facebook aspect, as it is so huge with teens. If teens have any questions concerning their bodies, they usually turn to the Internet first. Anonymity is key, since they won’t have to deal with the fear of being embarrassed.”

The videos will be made by-teens, for-teens, with which I completely concur. Teens are much more likely to watch a video of adolescents whom they can relate to than a video of middle-aged parents or doctors. “I think it is a good idea to have teens portraying the message, which might reach out to the target audience more effectively,” says Hannah Dorfman, a freshman at Syracuse University.

My favorite part of the campaign is its overall message, which is safe sex.  There’s a huge difference between “Always use protection!” and “Don’t have sex AT ALL!”  While the first one is understandable, I think the latter would just annoy teens. Preaching abstinence could destroy the campaign’s effectiveness, so the decision to support safer sex – and not virginity – is certainly a wise one.

While the campaign is utilizing a number of different networks, its reach is still pretty limited.  Of the three channels that are being targeted, most of my friends and I watch none of them, and I’m sure that many other teens don’t either. Including the CW, sports channels, and VH1 could definitely expand the audience.  In addition, the only Web sites that the campaign plans to hit are YouTube and Facebook.  While those are packed with teens, they’re not everything.  What about MySpace?  And what about Twitter and Gmail?

Aseem Mehta, a Boston-area teen, notes that these methods as a whole may not be effective at all.  “The information that the YouTube videos will be the same information that youths are already aware of – every teen goes through health class and learns the fundamentals of sex education. The problem isn’t that teens are unaware, it’s that they choose to ignore those risks. I don’t think there is any reason that teens would be willing to spend their time on a YouTube video – its just not interesting.”  That’s an important thing to think about! And so many of the by-teens, for-teens videos that we have to watch in gym class are completely ridiculous. Will the campaign’s videos will fall victim to the overly-cheesy presentation that no teen can take seriously? Adrianne Loggins, a recent Northeastern journalism grad, suggests that, “Teens telling their story of their experiences with STDs might be even more of a help.”

Sexually transmitted diseases and infections are tough issues.  Talking about them makes teens uncomfortable, but I’m glad that Boston’s health agency is acting to prevent them. Hopefully, it will be effective, and the rates of STDs and STIs among Boston teens will drop.

Remy Marin is a Boston-area high school junior who is interested in humanities and foreign languages.