Being online: from youth visual narratives to public health action - exploring digital determinants of health through creative engagement
1
1 Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab), Geneva, Switzerland
2
2 Young World Federation of Public Health Associations (YoungWFPHA), Geneva, Switzerland
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A898
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Digital Determinants of Health (DDoH) describe how digital technologies and digital environments shape health, well-being, and equity.(1) For young people, being online is not a discrete behavior but a lived social space influencing identity, mental health, access to information, and participation.(2-4) Public health must strive to expand health-promoting aspects of digital environments whilst preventing harms. In order to strike the balance, it is important to understand young people's lived experiences. The Being Online project developed a global, youth-centered digital gallery that captures visual expressions of young people’s experiences of digital well-being.(5) Creative methods are particularly relevant for youth populations, as they lower participation barriers, transcend language and cultural differences, and enable expression of complex emotional and social experiences that may be difficult to articulate through conventional survey tools.
METHODS:
This study is based on a participatory, creative research approach combining visual storytelling and thematic analysis. The Being Online gallery invited young people to submit visual contributions (illustrations, photographs, digital art) reflecting how being online affects their well-being. During the session, selected gallery contributions will be presented and collectively analysed through guided reflection, small-group discussion, linking visual narratives to core DDoH dimensions such as mental health, inclusion, misinformation and digital structures.
RESULTS:
The completed gallery and qualitative thematic analysis will provide insights into how young people conceptualize digital well-being across diverse contexts. These results will be used during the session to critically reflect on youth inclusion in digital health policy, governance, and public health interventions.
CONCLUSIONS:
Creative, youth-led visual methods offer a powerful tool to understand Digital Determinants of Health and advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability in public health. By positioning young people as knowledge producers, this session demonstrates how participatory approaches can inform research, policy, and governance in a borderless digital health landscape.
Digital Determinants of Health (DDoH) describe how digital technologies and digital environments shape health, well-being, and equity.(1) For young people, being online is not a discrete behavior but a lived social space influencing identity, mental health, access to information, and participation.(2-4) Public health must strive to expand health-promoting aspects of digital environments whilst preventing harms. In order to strike the balance, it is important to understand young people's lived experiences. The Being Online project developed a global, youth-centered digital gallery that captures visual expressions of young people’s experiences of digital well-being.(5) Creative methods are particularly relevant for youth populations, as they lower participation barriers, transcend language and cultural differences, and enable expression of complex emotional and social experiences that may be difficult to articulate through conventional survey tools.
METHODS:
This study is based on a participatory, creative research approach combining visual storytelling and thematic analysis. The Being Online gallery invited young people to submit visual contributions (illustrations, photographs, digital art) reflecting how being online affects their well-being. During the session, selected gallery contributions will be presented and collectively analysed through guided reflection, small-group discussion, linking visual narratives to core DDoH dimensions such as mental health, inclusion, misinformation and digital structures.
RESULTS:
The completed gallery and qualitative thematic analysis will provide insights into how young people conceptualize digital well-being across diverse contexts. These results will be used during the session to critically reflect on youth inclusion in digital health policy, governance, and public health interventions.
CONCLUSIONS:
Creative, youth-led visual methods offer a powerful tool to understand Digital Determinants of Health and advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability in public health. By positioning young people as knowledge producers, this session demonstrates how participatory approaches can inform research, policy, and governance in a borderless digital health landscape.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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