Most of us are constantly on our phones. Whether we are checking our texts or our many social media platforms, it seems that we always have our phones in our hands. Well, the brilliant minds at YTH (Youth, Tech, Health) decided to take advantage of our technology addiction by starting a new campaign called YTHINFO.

YTHINFO is a texting system that sends weekly texts about sexual health topics. It’s no secret that most teens don’t get the sexuality information or access to safer sex resources that they need. This system tries to take care of both in a way that is friendly yet informative. You just text “YTHINFO” to 61827 to start receiving texts. I’ve been getting texts from YTHINFO for about a month now, and they come every week like clockwork. They provide statistics on HIV and also include a clinic finder. To use the clinic finder, text “clinic” plus your zip code, and they give you the four closest clinics to you. It’s very handy because all you have to do is click on the link they send you, and BOOM, it sends you to your mapping system and you have directions, too!

The only issue I have with the YTHINFO texts is that the statistics and advice I received have only been about HIV. I’ll admit HIV is a major issue for young people, but it is not the only issue plaguing our age group. I wish they also sent info about other sexually transmitted diseases and how to prevent them by using condoms or dental dams. Besides that, I love YTHINFO—it’s great! So, far I’ve learned that 1 in 4 new cases of HIV occur among people ages 13 to 24. That’s scary but important to know. I’ve signed up my sister and all my friends. Everyone deserves to have access to accurate sexual health information and now they’ve got one more source for it.