MTV, the youth-oriented television network, has launched a new multiplatform campaign called "A Thin Line" to tackle multiplatform digital abuse.

According to research by MTV, 50 percent of 14-24 year olds have experience some form of digital abuse and three out of 10 have sent or received nude picture messages, known as sexting. MTV is using mobile as one of the ways to reach its young, tech-savvy audience.

?Mobile is a critical piece to our strategy to deliver info to consumers,? said Jason Rzepka, vice president of public affairs at MTV, New York. ?Mobile gives them a way to join in and be in on the effort because this effort is so broad and it?s such a big issue that we can?t tackle all at once.

?I think it?s really important to use mobile to reach the audience given how much these issues are playing out on mobile devices,? he said.

Reaching the audience
Mr. Rzepka said that MTV sees digital abuse and cyber bullying as both a PC Web and mobile Web problem.

The campaign came to fruition after the 2008 presidential election. Mr. Rzepka said that the MTV staff was looking at the next big issue they wanted to tackle and it was almost unanimous that digital abuse would be it.

MTV's A Thin Line will address digital abuse issues through a series of on-air, mobile, online and real-world initiatives including integration into the network?s programming.

At the start of the sweeping campaign, Mr. Rzepka said that MTV will focus on romantic relationships and issues surrounding sexting and cyber bullying among peers.

An MTV News special will be devoted to sexting and the network will also air an episode of its documentary series ?True Life? dedicated to youths who claim to have digital drama.

MTV will also air public service announcements and launch online and mobile tools.

Consumers can access digital abuse information, resources and support systems online and on their mobile devices at http://www.athinline.org.

The online and mobile hub was designed to help teens understand the hallmarks of healthy relationships, while providing suggested responses and help if they or their friends are encountering abuse.

Consumers can also access the campaign's resources by texting the keyword LINE to short code 66333.

MTV will send consumers a link to the WAP site at http://bit.ly/A_Thin_Line and invite them to learn more about the campaign.

Mr. Rzepka said that MTV is also looking into developing applications and other mobile platforms.
Facebook, MySpace, The Family Violence Prevention Fund and The Anti-Defamation League are some of MTV?s partners in its crusade to educate youth and stop the spread of digital abuse.

Mr. Rzepka said that mobile is one of the best ways to reach the MTV audience.

?I think the big thing is access,? Mr. Rzepka said. ?We?ve got research here that shows when viewers are watching our programming, 88 percent said that they have their mobile device nearby and 40 percent said they watch with a laptop nearby.

?Asking the audience to go to a Web site would mean we?re missing more than half of the total audience,? he said. ?We?re thinking how to use mobile as a strategic platform to deliver help and information while letting voices be heard as part of the effort to raise the ceiling and ensure that the effort is as big as can be reach and as many members of the audience as possible.?