Beyond Awareness: Co-designing Digital Strategies for Adolescent Wellbeing, Tobacco and Nicotine Prevention

Mission and objectives

---

Adolescent wellbeing and tobacco and nicotine prevention are increasingly shaped by rapidly evolving digital environments. The emergence of e-cigarettes, vaping devices, nicotine pouches, social media marketing, influencer-driven content and online peer networks has transformed how adolescents encounter, perceive and engage with tobacco and nicotine products. These developments present new challenges for public health researchers, practitioners, policymakers and communities.

While conventional prevention strategies have largely focused on awareness campaigns, health education and communicating the risks associated with tobacco and nicotine consumption, there is a growing need to move beyond information-based approaches towards more engaging, participatory and contextsensitive interventions.

Digital public health offers significant opportunities to address these challenges through social media, digital storytelling, interactive platforms, online communities, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. However, the effectiveness and sustainability of such interventions depend on understanding adolescents’ lived experiences, digital behaviours, social influences, mental wellbeing and the broader commercial and cultural environments in which they interact.

Moreover, the increasing sophistication of digital marketing, misinformation, algorithm-driven content and online social influences raises important questions about digital safety, privacy, equity, health literacy and the ethical involvement of adolescents in public health interventions.

A critical shift is therefore needed: moving from designing interventions for adolescents towards designing interventions with adolescents.

This workshop will serve as a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and knowledge exchange on the opportunities and challenges of developing youth-centred digital strategies for adolescent wellbeing and tobacco and nicotine prevention. It will bring together researchers and practitioners across digital public health, adolescent health, tobacco control, behavioural science, psychology, health communication and social sciences to examine emerging evidence, share research and explore participatory approaches to intervention development.

The workshop will encourage contributions from both high-income and low- and middle-income country contexts, recognising the importance of cultural relevance, contextual differences and equitable access in developing effective digital public health interventions.

Building from this research focus, the objectives of the workshop are:

1. To critically examine the changing digital, social and commercial determinants influencing adolescent exposure to tobacco and nicotine products and their implications for health and wellbeing.
2. To explore opportunities and challenges in using digital technologies, social media, artificial intelligence and innovative communication approaches for adolescent wellbeing and tobacco/nicotine prevention.
3. To consider conceptual frameworks, research methodologies and participatory approaches that meaningfully integrate adolescents’ lived experiences into the design and implementation of digital public health interventions.
4. To examine ethical, behavioural and equity considerations, including digital safety, misinformation, privacy, accessibility and commercial influences.
5. To facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and collaborative development of practical, youth-centred digital intervention concepts that can be evaluated and adapted across different public health settings.

Intended audience

---

This workshop will serve as an interdisciplinary forum for researchers, practitioners, policymakers and innovators interested in adolescent wellbeing, tobacco and nicotine prevention and digital public health.

It is envisioned that participants will represent universities, public health research institutions, healthcare organisations, tobacco control networks, digital health providers, youth-focused organisations, government agencies and community-based programmes.

The workshop particularly welcomes contributions from:

• Digital public health and global health researchers.
• Adolescent and youth health specialists.
• Tobacco control and nicotine prevention researchers.
• Behavioural scientists and psychologists.
• Mental health and wellbeing professionals.
• Digital health innovators and technology developers.
• Public health policymakers and programme managers.
• Researchers working on artificial intelligence and digital communication.
• Youth engagement, education and community organisations.
• Early-career researchers and postgraduate students.

The workshop will encourage participation and knowledge exchange across Global North and Global South contexts, with particular interest in contextually relevant approaches to adolescent health and digital intervention development.

Expected Outcomes

---

This workshop will establish a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration to strengthen the development of youth-centred digital public health strategies addressing adolescent wellbeing and tobacco and nicotine prevention.

Specifically, the outcomes of the workshop will:

1. Identify key behavioural, social, digital and commercial factors influencing adolescent tobacco and nicotine exposure and related health behaviours.
2. Identify opportunities and barriers to using digital technologies for adolescent wellbeing and tobacco/nicotine prevention.
3. Share research evidence, practical experiences and participatory methodologies for involving adolescents in intervention design.
4. Explore approaches to addressing digital inequalities, misinformation, privacy, safeguarding and ethical considerations.
5. Develop preliminary digital intervention concepts through collaborative discussions and co-design activities.
6. Identify future research priorities, evaluation approaches and opportunities for interdisciplinary and international collaboration.

The workshop will also seek to establish a foundation for continued research collaboration and potential development of a Research Topic in Frontiers in Digital Public Health.

Format and schedule

---

The workshop is proposed as a 90-minute session combining research presentations, facilitated discussion and interactive collaboration.

Session	Duration	Description
Welcome and Opening Remarks	5 min	Introduction of the workshop theme, chairs, objectives and the importance of moving beyond awareness-based approaches.
Research and Practice Presentations	45 min	Selected authors present original research, extended abstracts or practical experiences relevant to adolescent wellbeing, digital public health and tobacco/nicotine prevention. Each presentation will be allocated approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on the number of accepted contributions.
Interactive Discussion and Codesign Exercise	25 min	Workshop chairs facilitate discussion around emerging evidence, challenges and opportunities. Participants work collaboratively to identify digital intervention concepts and youth-centred approaches.
Plenary Reflections and Q&A	10 min	Participants share key insights, research priorities and reflections from the collaborative exercise.
Workshop Wrap-up	5 min	Chairs summarise key messages, potential collaborations and futuredirections

Accepted contributions

To be updated following the Call for Papers and completion of the peer-review process.

Selected full papers and extended abstracts will be presented during the workshop, subject to acceptance and the applicable DPH2027 publication requirements.

Speakers

---

---

---