Jong&Out: A Social Media Platform for Queer Youth

Jong&Out, a queer youth social media platform available in The Netherlands, is the first social platform geared towards LGBTQ-identifying youth. The app was created by COC Netherlands, the world’s oldest LGBTQ non-profit organization which has been advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ community since 1946. 

The launching of the app was in response to specific mental health issues that queer youth deal with daily. It allows youth to connect with peers with similar interests and experiences ensuring them that they’re not alone alongside the app being an age-gated safe space for queer people only from the ages 12-18. 

The app was initially launched three years ago during the 2020 lockdown and has now been relaunched to utilize social media as a positive mental health resource for one of the world’s most vulnerable groups. It hopes to introduce queer youth to ‘the gateway to queer joy,’ and allows users to add friends, post, like content, and join groups around their interest areas. 

Jong&Out member Tim, aged 15, says “I joined Jong&Out because I wanted somewhere where I’d feel at home. Of course, I already have friends who support me, but I still didn’t feel fully understood or accepted. I wanted a place where I could be myself completely, and I found that at Jong&Out.”

Contrary to other mainstream social media platforms, Jong&Out is moderated by volunteers instead of AI resources which can create an unsafe environment for queer-identifying individuals. Alongside the digital platform, the app offers numerous IRL events in the Netherlands, including 24 monthly meet-ups and three annual camps. 

Due to the increase of hate crimes towards the queer community, the need for a safe space both online and IRL is much needed. The app aims to bring like-minded youth together and redirects minors from LGBTQ adult-geared apps where queer youth could be vulnerable to grooming. 

The app’s relaunch was crafted by a pro-bono team consisting of some of the most predominant LGBTQ talents in the Dutch creative agency landscape. The team is led by strategist Steph Morrow, founder of STUDIO WORROM.

Steph Morrow says, “Creating this campaign was a healing but at times emotional, experience for the whole team. All of us experienced either outright bullying or micro-aggressions as kids growing up queer—so we channeled our experience into making this campaign great and impactful because we knew what it could have meant to us if we’d had this incredible platform as teens. The attack in Eindhoven also happened right in the middle of developing this, which hit so close to home. When you come face to face with queer kids, it’s unthinkable they’re being targeted with homophobic acts of violence, and it makes you want to do everything you can to protect them. So, by far the most rewarding aspect is knowing how helpful this resource will be: the ultimate embodiment of using your skills and knowledge for good. Every one queer kid we get to join this app is a kid we’ve connected into a mental health lifeline.” 

Download the Jong&Out app here!

Photo Courtesy of Jong&Out