Mental health messaging on platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp is becoming common in the digital age. Globally, digital media technologies have become integral to how young people get and use health and well-being information.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the transition of health services to virtual platforms. In the United States, it is estimated that up to 95% of young people aged 13-17 use digital platforms to obtain health-related information.
The use of social media to access health information is also common among young South Africans. It is estimated that about 60% of young people in South Africa prefer to use social media to contact health workers and ask for information. So, social media has a big role in promoting youth health and well-being.
And young people in South Africa face complex health challenges. Rates of mental distress, substance abuse and gender-based violence remain high.
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I’m a researcher in youth development, with a special focus on youth work practices and youth health. With others, I conducted a study examining how youth workers use digital media technologies to promote the health and well-being of young people in the non-governmental organisation sector. TikTok videos and WhatsApp are the most popular one that youth workers use to reach out for young people. In this study, we explored the use of digital media technologies without focusing on the effectiveness of these interventions.
Our findings revealed that youth workers employ various digital platforms, such as Microsoft Teams for virtual sessions, TikTok for educational videos, and WhatsApp for health-related messaging to promote youth health and well-being. These provide virtual emotional support, disseminate health information, and share TikTok videos featuring health-related content.
Our findings highlight the crucial role that youth workers, often operating with limited resources, play in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 3. This goal focuses on good health and well-being.
Our study also contributes to raising public awareness about how youth workers are promoting health and well-being among young people.
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What we did
In 2024, we interviewed 20 youth workers across South Africa’s non-governmental sector, in four provinces (Limpopo, Western Cape, Gauteng and Northern Cape). The small sample size allowed for deeper engagement and richer insights.
The interviews revealed how much they were already accomplishing with limited resources. We couldn’t determine how many young people they were reaching, however.
Some were running online support groups, sharing health messages on TikTok, or sending WhatsApp voice notes to help young people manage anxiety or gender-based violence.
Their creativity and dedication were inspiring, but this also exposed a deeper issue: youth workers are filling critical gaps in the public health system using digital tools that were never designed for such purposes.
These youth workers serve as vital bridges between young people and the health services they often struggle to access. They act as mentors, counsellors and advocates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they became digital connectors as well.
One youth worker described using WhatsApp to create a safe space for teenage girls to discuss mental health and gender-based violence. Another used TikTok to post short, upbeat videos encouraging young people to seek help when feeling depressed or anxious. These initiatives were not large-scale campaigns but rather human connections made possible through accessible technology.
As one youth worker observed, “We might not have fancy clinics or big budgets, but with our phones, we can reach our young people anytime, anywhere.” That is where the future of youth health begins.
The challenges
Behind these stories of innovation lie some challenges. These include insufficient support, training and resources. Many non-governmental organisations struggle to afford data, equipment or digital training. Youth workers frequently rely on personal devices and pay for internet access from their own pockets. Despite their commitment, they remain largely unrecognised as digital health promoters, even though their role is potentially important to the wellbeing of South Africa’s youth.
Traditional health campaigns through posters, workshops and clinics often fail to reach young people where they spend most of their time. Digital media technologies can help bridge this gap, making health information more accessible and relatable. For instance, short-form videos on TikTok can deliver mental health tips, and interactive quizzes on Instagram can debunk myths about sexual health.
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The solutions
The study identified four practical strategies to strengthen youth workers’ use of digital media technologies for health promotion:
- Invest in the youth work sector. Youth work, especially within non-governmental organisations, remains underfunded. Financial investment is required not only for programmes but also for the individuals leading frontline digital health engagement. The Department of Social Development can help through financial support.
- Provide training in digital literacy. As digital tools evolve rapidly, structured training in social media communication, online counselling and digital ethics should form part of professional development for youth workers.
- Create targeted digital capacity programmes.
Funding mechanisms should prioritise building the digital capacity of non-governmental organisations. This includes providing devices, internet access and software to enable the effective delivery of virtual health programmes. - Develop short learning programmes through universities. Open distance e-learning institutions can design short courses that teach youth workers how to use digital tools to engage young audiences in health promotion. This could transform both professionalisation and impact.
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A healthier future
The future of health promotion in South Africa lies in collaboration between government, academia, non-governmental organisations and youth themselves.
The Department of Social Development and the National Youth Development Agency could make a lasting difference by funding NGOs and youth-led organisations that employ digital tools to support young people’s well-being.
At the policy level, it is crucial to ensure that digital media technologies are used ethically and inclusively, protecting young people’s privacy while amplifying their voices.
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The research demonstrates that technology alone does not create change, people do. The real innovation stems from youth workers who, despite limited resources, are finding creative ways to connect, comfort and empower young South Africans through the digital tools already in their hands.
Thulani Andrew Chauke work for the University of South Africa
The China Wall
Van der Merwe is approached by SANRAL one day who want to build a new highway through his donkey farm. Van is really concerned with how his donkeys can get from one side of the farm to the other without having to cross the highway and risk being injured or killed. He is promised that they will build bridges the highway so that his donkeys can cross under the highway. Van agrees and gives them the go-ahead.
The highway is built and a year later the same rep goes to the farm to go see how Van and his donkeys are. He eventually finds Van under one of these bridges chipping away at the roof of the tunnel with a hammer and chisel.
\”Mnr Van de Merwe, what are you doing damaging the highway bridge?\”
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