Co-creating harm reduction resources with young people who use nitrous oxide: what catches their attention?

Background
Nitrous oxide (N2O), colloquially known as “laughing gas”, is a dissociative anaesthetic that has become increasingly popular among young people as a recreational drug. Social media and messaging platforms have made N2O more accessible. As avid users of social media, young people are well-positioned to contribute to the development of digitalised harm reduction resources. This study draws on young people with N2O experience to develop harm reduction resources for dissemination on social media.
Methods
This study comprised four stages, utilising a co-creation approach with young people (aged 18–25) with N2O experience. Stage 1 involved two focus groups (n = 22) to co-create harm reduction messages with participants. Stage 2 involved the development of harm reduction resources (video clips and posts) using the participants’ insights collected in stage 1. Stage 3 included two focus groups with participants (n = 13) to review and refine the draft resources. Stage 4 involved the final production of the resources. This article reports the findings of the focus groups we held in stages 1 and 3, answering the research question, “What strategies are most effective in engaging young people with N2O experience in harm reduction messaging on social media?” Data were analysed using thematic analysis, involving semantic and latent coding to develop key strategies for effective harm reduction messaging.
Results
Three strategies were developed through thematic analysis: (1) Set your message apart from the crowd—participants emphasised the importance of visually appealing, sharply framed content with direct taglines to capture attention quickly on social media; (2) Use realistic social settings—harm reduction messages were more engaging when they reflected authentic environments and social dynamics in which N2O is typically consumed, including peer influence and support and (3) Prioritise practical harm reduction advice over recommendations for abstinence—participants preferred actionable harm reduction tips (e.g., dosage control, safe administration techniques) over abstinence-based messaging, valuing autonomy and lived experience.
Conclusions
Effective reach to young people on social media requires harm reduction information to be visually appealing, immediately comprehensible and contextually relevant to young people’s social environments.