Digital Family Planning: Balancing Risks and Rewards 

It is no secret that technology has revolutionized our world, especially within healthcare. Digital innovations have re-shaped the way we perceive our health and how healthcare providers operate. Recently, there has been a growing interest in utilizing digital technology as a family planning method. While technology can enhance young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and information, responsible use remains crucial; recognizing the risks and benefits of technology, and especially AI, is essential for effective family planning. 

PROPEL Youth & Gender is committed to comprehensive digital development that not only expands access to contraceptives and SRH education, but also fosters digital literacy. PROPEL Youth & Gender is a 5-year, USAID-funded project that aims to improve family planning and SRH outcomes through policy, advocacy, health financing and governance. PROPEL Youth & Gender is proud to support IYF’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Internship Program, which equips young people from underrepresented communities and diverse ethnic backgrounds with the tools to succeed in the workforce. The project supports the collaborators of this blog, Knowledge Management Intern Nina Grafton and Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning Intern Sofia Diaz.   

Advantages of Digital Technology in Family Planning  

Demystify Accessing Contraceptives: Obtaining contraceptives can be a confusing process for many individuals. Youth organizations are utilizing the Internet and social media to address this challenge. The organization, Life Yangu, based in Kenya, provides comprehensive education about accessing and using contraceptives. The organization’s free training modules empower young people to enhance their understanding of family planning. They also provide a database of over two thousand Kenyan health centers and youth facilities to young people and adults seeking affordable and safe SRH services.  

Creating Secure Environments for Young Women and Girls: Discussing SRH can be uncomfortable for many people. That’s why technology and AI are being harnessed to create welcoming environments for adolescents. SnehAi, developed by the Population Foundation of India, is an AI chatbot that provides a “secure, personalized and non-judgmental space” for young people—especially young women and girls—to discuss and learn about sexual and reproductive health. The chatbot responds in both English and Hindi, allowing information to reach a wider audience.  

Access Contraceptive Methods Without a Clinic Visit: Various applications, such as CycleBeads, allow individuals to access fertility awareness methods (FAMs) to plan or prevent a pregnancy by predicting fertile days. By combining instructional information and a tracking system, these apps provide a non-medicinal contraceptive method without a visit to the doctor.  

Utilize the interactive map below to explore different digital family planning methods across the globe. Please note that the inclusion of specific programs in this blog post and data visualizer does not imply endorsement by IYF. These examples are provided for informational purposes only. 

Risks of Digital Technology in Health  

Chatbots, Privacy, and Data Usage: The use of AI chatbots has skyrocketed in recent years, but popularity definitely does not equate to safety. Like any software, chatbots can have vulnerabilities, such as weak coding or poor security. When users share sensitive personal information with chatbots, this information can be accessed by hackers. For instance, SnehAi has a robust privacy policy on their website that describes what information is stored, and for how long. But they still discourage disclosing personal identifiable information with the bot.  

Additionally, AI chatbots are not guaranteed to produce accurate answers to health-related questions, and many do not adhere to the same guidelines as human practitioners. 

Scientific, Health, and Tech Literacy: For young people who do not have access to higher or quality education, scientific terminology and definitions can be difficult to understand. This can lead to misunderstandings about SRH. In addition, language barriers may prevent some people from accessing relevant information in their native language.  

Women are disproportionately affected by poor digital literacy due to the Gender Digital Divide, which refers to women and girls’ lack of access to, use, and development of technology. This divide can limit the effectiveness of digital family planning initiatives, preventing them from reaching the women and girls who need them the most.  

Bias in AI: For systems trained on AI, there is a risk of the information provided perpetuating biases. AI systems develop from the data they process, so any inherent biases in the data may be reflected in the system’s outputs. For example, if an AI system is trained only on health data from the United States, the informational output will likely not apply to other global populations.  

 

Looking Ahead with Digital Health  

Balancing the rapid growth of technology with its potential risks is integral to advancing family planning initiatives. As digital solutions are implemented, it is essential to equip young people with the necessary tools to understand sexual and reproductive health. Providing access to accurate information about family planning empowers young people to make informed decisions and educate others in their communities.  

But developing digital technology for family planning does not stop at accessibility. It involves understanding the possible risks of technology and AI and educating young people about these risks so technology can be a source of empowerment.  

Harnessing the power of digitalization is fundamental to supporting young people, and by considering all aspects of technology and AI, it can serve as a tool in family planning, rather than a potential risk.