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n the afternoon of Sept. 24, Acep Gate was sitting on a chair in the Carlo Room in St. Carolus Hospital, Central Jakarta.

His hands turned cold as he looked at the test result the doctor gave him from the hospital’s laboratory.

That Monday, the 23-year-old college student learned that he was HIV positive.

“My heart broke when I found out. There were only two things on my mind at the time; the first one was, ‘I want to kill myself’,” he said in a video uploaded to YouTube, “[and the second was] I should go on with my life’. I choose the second one.”

The video was published two weeks after he received the news that he was HIV positive. His second video about six symptoms of HIV he experienced has been watched on YouTube more than 1.7 million times.

Acep said he realized that by sharing his story he not only eased his depression but also helped many other people of his age understand HIV better. He has published 10 videos on his YouTube channel to discuss HIV infection, including one that featured his parents with their thoughts about his condition.

His YouTube channel has more than 34,000 subscribers to date.

In Indonesia, discussing HIV or reproductive health issues is still a widespread taboo, prompting many youngsters like Acep to turn to alternative sources of information.

“I have to spend around six hours a day answering questions from all over Indonesia about many things, but especially on HIV tests. I don’t always know the answer though. However, I’m glad that some of them finally had the courage to take the test after watching my videos,” he said.

Acep is not alone; other youngsters have started campaigning about sex and reproductive health on YouTube and other social media platforms, including 23-year-old Sisil, who has also produced several videos from the room she rents in Bali.

From taking care of one’s private parts to a tutorial on using menstrual cups, Sisil has produced dozens of videos since July.

“Many people accuse me of promoting casual sex, and let me tell you, I’m not. But we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that young people are doing it, even those younger than me. Without proper information, they are prone to many health issues,” she said.

“I want to provide a safe platform that will create the opportunity for youngsters to discuss sex education without being judged,” she said.

Although many people had threatened and bullied her, some calling her a “naughty woman” who promotes sex before marriage, Sisil said she would continue producing videos to help other young people.

The National Population and Family Planning Board’s undersecretary for population control, Wendy Hartanto, lauded the initiatives, saying they were necessary amid the lack of formal sex education platforms.

“They are filling a gap that couldn’t be covered by the government and related institutions,” he said recently.

Wendy admitted that it remained difficult to provide sexual education at an early age, given the conservative propensity of society.

The Demographic and Health Survey 2017 revealed that 17.6 percent of Indonesia’s male population between 15 and 24 years of age had sex before marriage. Wendy said 74 percent of them had done it when they were 15 to 19 years old.

“Many still believe giving sex education means encouraging having sex. Children must know about sex, the risks and their impact,” he added.

Meanwhile, in the 2018 Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health forum, Ann Chair, the co-chair of the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, said while the youngsters had good intentions in sharing their knowledge on sexual health, the accuracy of their information may be a problem.

“The intention is good and I think it is important to share information and experiences, but I think the challenge is the accuracy of the information they provide. Government and health organizations have to work with them to give them accurate information about contraception and help them spread the right information,” she said.