The Digital Transformation and the Right to Health of Young Adults in Bangladesh and Colombia: A Community-Engaged Study.

Abstract

In her 2023 report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on digital innovation, technology, and the right to health, the Special Rapporteur on the right to health underscored the positive impact of the digital transformation on young people, but also noted serious concerns, calling for greater efforts to consult and engage with youth and civil society. In our study, early-career researchers from Bangladesh and Colombia collaborated within a broader international research and advocacy project to investigate how diverse young adults experience digital health and to invite their recommendations and collaborative advocacy. Researchers held focus group discussions and interviews with young adults aged 18-30 (in Bangladesh, predominantly men; in Colombia, people living with HIV, gay men, and transgender women). In both countries, young adults said the digital turn had transformed their access to sexual and reproductive health and HIV information, highlighting both the positive role of young social media influencers and the harms caused by misinformation, lack of confidentiality, and widespread stigma. They called for greater government efforts to develop digital health, including through social media platforms. We find that transnational collaborations like this one offer the potential to generate actionable insights and inform the development of rights-based digital governance.