We Think Twice™ digital media campaign

Today’s youth need support, guidance, and evidence-based information to help them navigate their teen years in a world defined by change and uncertainty. The Family and Youth Services Bureau partnered with RTI International to create and implement the We Think Twice™ (WTT) digital media campaign to support youth ages 13-19. The overarching goals of the campaign are to build teen knowledge and skills to form healthy relationships with peers and adults; set and work toward their goals; improve their leadership skills; care for their mental health; and make healthy decisions related to sex, substance use, and other relevant topics. A core component of the campaign is a growing collection of more than 50 mobile-friendly digital products, including quizzes, games, videos, listicles, stories, infographics, playlists, and interactive tools. These products are coordinated with Instagram content to produce a cohesive multi-channel campaign.

Our #1 tenet for the campaign is that it be youth-centered. To achieve this, we have fostered the development of user-generated content and engaged in youth-centered design with over 500 youth to ensure that WTT is designed with teens, for teens. For example, teens recorded videos for a series showcasing authentic stories of youth who have set and achieved their goals. Teens have also shared their perspectives on friendships, family, and romantic relationships through a healthy relationships video series. We also host contests, judged by teens themselves, which encourage youth to submit original written or visual content. Several contests were conducted in 2024 including “Fantastic Failures,” which asked teens to share a time when a failure turned out to be a positive experience for them. Select teen quotes were leveraged in a digital product, Guide to Successful Failures, which has earned over 3,000 pageviews.

Since January 2023, WTT has generated over 84 million social media impressions. The Instagram earns an average organic engagement rate of 7%, almost 2 times the industry standard. The website has garnered over 460,000 views, and interactive web content has garnered over 17,000 quiz submissions and over 220,000 YouTube video views.