Campaigns

Project Unloaded has reached more than a quarter of American teens with a positive, engaging message: Young people are safer unarmed. We don’t judge, scare or shame young people. Instead, we meet them where they are with content that sparks curiosity and conversation, backed by research and created by their peers.

Why teens? Because unlike adults, teens are still making up their minds about guns. Many of them are interested in future gun ownership, but they’re also interested in learning more about the risks that come with guns and are open to deciding against gun use after learning the facts on why guns make them less safe.

Our campaigns leverage the power of social media and Gen Z to reach American teens with a message that sticks.

Whether it’s through a post on their favorite social media platform or a message via trusted gaming or lifestyle influencers, we reach young people at scale with the information they need to make informed, independent choices about gun use.

You SNUG?

The SNUG (Safer Not Using Guns) campaign educates and empowers teens through simple facts about gun violence absent partisan or polarizing rhetoric. The campaign, which launched in January 2022, reaches teens in the (virtual) places where they spend their time: Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. SNUG reaches young people via native content, influencer campaigns and targeted ads.

of teens shifted against the idea that guns made them safer after seeing the SNUG pilot campaign

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Teens have engaged with SNUG social media content

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More than 80% of comments on SNUG influencer posts are positive

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Guns Change the Story

A walk home from school. A pickup game at the park. Siblings goofing around. When a gun is present, everyday moments can turn dangerous and deadly. Project Unloaded’s second campaign, Guns Change the Story, combines mad-lib style stories with video footage of real teens living their lives to highlight how having a gun around makes life riskier. The campaign is geared at Black and Latino teens in communities disproportionately impacted by gun violence. It launched in December 2023 in select cities.

This campaign followed an extensive research process in which we found:

Teens engaged with campaign content

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Times that campaign videos were watched to completion

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Cities where the campaign reaches teens impacted by gun violence

Working On It

Teens are talking about their mental health: Online, in group chats, and in real life. Working On It joins that conversation by lifting up how teens are navigating tough stuff while also introducing a truth that many don’t know: That access to guns makes our mental health journeys riskier. Through real stories and creator collaborations, this campaign meets teens where they are, with honesty, solidarity, and facts.

of teens say they’re concerned about their mental health

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higher suicide rates for teens who live with a gun in the home

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of suicide attempts occur within an hour of the decision to attempt

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If you or a loved one need help with their mental health, call, text or chat 988 anytime.

Leave Guns in the Game

Gaming is where many teens first encounter guns and it’s where many of them learn about guns, according to our research. Leave Guns in the Game speaks directly to teens through the games they play and the content they love, using humor and gaming references to interrupt the idea that owning a gun IRL makes you safer. This campaign encourages teens to keep the guns on-screen—and out of real life.

of young people—and half of young men—say gaming influences how they think about guns

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of teens aged 13–17 game daily

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of the games young people play include weapons or combat

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Engaging Gen Z Content Creators

More than 50 Gen Z content creators have worked with Project Unloaded since our founding, leveraging the platforms they’ve built on social media to reach young people with the message that guns make us less safe. Through this program, we intentionally build relationships with creators who don’t typically talk about politics or engage in social issues to try to reach teens online who may swipe past more traditional messages about guns and safety. And it’s effective.

creators engaged across TikTok, YouTube & Instagram

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audience reached by our influencer partners

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positive comments on influencer partner social content

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Credit: @/itslacymae

Credit: @/beingmylen

Help Stop Gun Violence

To turn the page on gun violence, we must tell a different story about guns. With your help, we can grow our work and save lives.