'Boredometer' to tell young people about positive activities

Plings, developed by social research co-operative Substance, has launched the Boredometer, which can be used on Facebook and Bebo.

Young people who download the application can advertise how bored they are on their profile, receive details of activities in their area that have been inputted by local authorities, and suggest activities to their friends. Young people were involved in designing and testing the application.

Tim Davies, youth work and digital consultant, said: "Youth work encourages practitioners to start from where young people are at, which for many young people involves spending time on social network sites like Facebook and Bebo. For authorities it is therefore essential that they engage with social media, and to do this effectively requires relinquishing a degree of control."

Debbie Coombs, integrated content manager at Hull City Council, which is working with Plings, said: "In the past we were primarily targeting parents, carers and providers, so we weren’t really youth focused. The Boredometer application and the Plings framework have allowed us to engage with young people in a more exciting way."

Plings is working with 20 local authorities to collect, manage and share their positive activity information through mobile phones, digital TV and websites.