For a generation on Snapchat, a new study finds gun violence campaigns could make kids safer.
Aug 11, 2026
In 2022, when the violence prevention organization Project Unloaded launched its first social media-focused campaign, its leaders had one goal: to challenge the notion among young people that guns make people more safe. Four years later, they’ve reached a conclusion: Social media platforms are an effective avenue for channeling public health messaging to young people.
“How do we harness the power of young people to drive culture change,” said Nina Vinik, founder of Project Unloaded, speaking of the Chicago-based organization’s inquiry into their online campaigns. “How do we make social media a tool for building safer communities? And how do we show the impact of that strategy?”
Through an analysis conducted earlier this year, Vinik and her colleagues may have gotten some answers. The results, published in July, found that one in six Snapchat users between the ages of 13 and 17 surveyed were aware of SNUG, the organization’s Safer Not Using Guns campaign, which uses Snapchat to share messaging about firearm access. They found that teens aware of the campaign were 17 points more likely to believe they were safer without guns.
Read more: https://www.thetrace.org/2026/08/snapchat-gun-violence-project-unloaded/