Well Wave social media report
Understanding what young people want from sexual health services online - insight for Well Wave.
Listening to young people: Improving Well Wave's social media for sexual health support in Leeds
Published 06 June 2025
Written by Katie Joenn
If you would like the report in another format, please contact us on 0113 898 0035 or email the team at info@healthwatchleeds.co.uk
Well Wave is a free and confidential sexual wellbeing service for young people aged 13 to 24 in Leeds. Previously known as 3-in-1, it was rebranded and relaunched in September 2024 to better meet the needs of young people across the city.
To support this relaunch, Healthwatch Leeds worked with young people to find out what they want to see from Well Wave's online presence, particularly on social media. Our goal was to help Well Wave build engaging, relevant and trustworthy content that can improve access to sexual health information and support.
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Highlights
We found that 83% of young people use the Leeds Sexual Health website, the NHS website or Google for sexual health information.
13 to 16-year-olds were more likely to use Instagram and TikTok social media platforms. 75% prefer short-form videos (under 90 seconds).
The things that they would find useful to learn from social media are:
- where to find services,
- opening times,
- reducing stigma,
- fun facts and risk awareness.
The most trusted information comes from verified accounts with trusted health professionals and experts. They also trust recommendations from friends and family and information with clear sources and references.
Young people mentioned local influencers such as Milly Evans, GK Barry, DanTDM and The Detox Academy.
What Happens Next?
This project wouldn't have been possible without the insights and energy of our YouthWatch volunteers. A huge thank you to everyone who completed the survey or joined our YouthWatch discussions - and a special thanks to Katie Joenn, one of our YouthWatch volunteers, who led the project and authored the full report.
Katie has shared the report with Well Wave Youth Sexual Wellness Service so that they can make improvements to their social media based on what young people told us. We also shared the report with other partners to ensure that other services are improving their social media to be more young person-friendly.
Want to Learn More?
Find out more about what young people told us in the full report.
Check out Well Wave's social media
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