Toxic relationships and bipolarity: a WAT WAT’s report
2024
Toxic relationships and bipolarity:
WAT WAT’s annual report highlights topics young people increasingly searched for
With a new annual report, youth information platform WAT WAT shares insights into the online search behavior of young people over the past year.
Last year 2.5 million young people turned to WAT WAT, the youth information platform for individuals aged 11 to 24 in Flanders and (Dutch-speaking) Brussels in Belgium, coordinated by De Ambrassade. In our latest annual report, we highlight the key figures for the past school year.
Over 1,3 million young people visited watwat.be
One million sought information through the WAT WAT TikTok account
280.000 swiped through informational slides on WAT WAT's Instagram profile
The website’s most viewed topics
Elections
Love
Weight
Moving out
Bullying
"Themes such as sex, love, bullying, self-image, and many other 'firsts' for young people remain consistently popular. They need information on these topics and often search online for answers they may not feel comfortable discussing with friends or parents. This year, we also saw 'voting for the first time' emerge as a major topic. Young people were eager to find guidance on how to make that choice, and educators and youth workers frequently referred them to our resources. Elections are complex, not just for young people but for many others as well," explains Jory Maeyaert, Youth Information Coordinator at De Ambrassade.
Emerging trends in most-read articles
Some new trends are evident from our most-read articles. For example, information about obtaining a provisional driver’s license saw a rise in views. Meanwhile, articles such as "How Can I Recognize a Toxic Relationship?" and "How Do I Deal with Someone Who Is Bipolar?" ranked among the top five.
In collaboration with 100 partner and expert organizations, WAT WAT continuously publishes new articles to address evolving questions from young people. New societal conversations, such as those surrounding toxic relationships, bring new information needs, which WAT WAT aims to meet.
"We also collaborate with media creators and production companies on web series like 2DEZIT, Hilly Skate, and wtFOCK, ensuring young people can access information and helplines after episodes tackling sensitive or challenging topics," Maeyaert adds.
