The Impact of ICT on Adolescents' Perceptions and Consumption of Substances

Peer Reviewed icon Peer Reviewed
Author
Porzecanski, Rafael
Date issued
Nov 2010
Subject
Youth and Children;
Health;
Innovation
JEL code
C93 - Field Experiments;
I1 - Health;
O31 - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
Country
Uruguay
Category
Working Papers
This paper reports the results of a three-month randomized controlled trial to estimate the impact of an Internet and mobile telephone short message service (SMS) intervention on adolescents' information about substances and rates of consumption. A low percentage of participants logged on to the Web platform, but most participants were reached through e-mails and SMS. It is found that the intervention was able to affect awareness that certain substances are drugs, but no significant changes in consumption habits were found.