Potential for technology in intervention with difficult-to-reach teen and young adult populations

Background: Marginalized youth and young adults have been considered to be among the most difficult to engage in prevention and treatment. Issues such as lack of trust of adults, involvement with deviant peer groups, and transience have been identified as important barriers. The use of information communication technology by these youth may provide new means for engagement and intervention. Methods/Results: Data from three studies of marginalized, homeless and street involved adolescents and young adults will be discussed, including: a survey of 201 street-involved adolescents in Los Angeles; a survey of 100 young, street involved adults in Denver and Los Angeles; and 8 focus groups in New York City and Los Angeles. All data show high levels of technology use (over 90% using, with between 24-46% using daily). Youth document a variety of uses: social networking, e-mail, texting, instant messaging, and resource-seeking internet use. Results showed that youth practicing survival/exchange sex were more likely to search for sex partners online, while youth using communications technology to connect to family were less likely to practice survival/exchange sex and were more likely to report a recent HIV test. Discussion: Despite marginalization and deprivation of key resources, evidence suggests that internet use is ubiquitous among these populations, and that using technology as a means of outreach is a potentially powerful service strategy. However, the differences among the use patterns and meaning of differing types of technology argue for further conceptualizing of the potential and pitfalls for interventions using specific types of on-line applications.