YouTube star Meghan Rienks teams up with Ad Council to stop teen dating abuse
Non-profit Futures Without Violence and The Ad Council have enlisted the help of YouTube star Meghan Rienks to prevent teen dating violence.
As part of their ‘That’s Not Cool’ initiative that aims to educate teenagers about setting boundaries in relationships while communicating online, the two groups have launched a mobile-first campaign called ‘Cool Not Cool’ that encourages young people to “draw their own digital line” when it comes to what is acceptable and what is not in a relationship.
Rienks, who has more than 1.7 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, will serve as a voice of the campaign and will promote it through videos and on her social accounts.
She will help promote a ‘Cool Not Cool’ quiz created by Archrival that will present teenagers with different scenarios then ask them to decide what is ‘cool’ or ‘not cool’ by swiping left or right.
Of her involvement, Rienks said: “I’ve always seen YouTube as a platform to voice issues that are personal to me, and I’m really glad to be able to share these great tools with my viewers. It can be hard for teens to talk about their dating experiences, so social media is a place they go when they’re feeling alone. My fans are my friends and my community – that’s why it’s really important for me to address issues that can help them learn how to prevent and respond to inappropriate digital behavior.”
Messenger app Kik will also support the campaign, giving teens the option to engage in conversations about what’s appropriate and what’s not when it comes to communicating digitally in a relationship. To chat with the campaign, users can find ‘thatsnotcool’ on the app.