This study explores how pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is perceived, discussed, and incorporated into the everyday lives of adolescents and young people in urban Blantyre, Malawi. Despite the expansion of PrEP services, uptake and sustained use among young people remain uneven, with existing approaches largely focusing on individual behaviour and biomedical factors, often overlooking the social and moral contexts that shape engagement.

The study uses a combination of hearsay and citizen ethnographic approaches, combining participant observations, in-depth interviews, and photovoice to capture how PrEP is embedded within youth social worlds. It explores how peer relations, gender norms, stigma, and moral narratives influence how PrEP is understood, circulated, and negotiated in everyday life. Findings are expected to generate contextually grounded evidence on the social meanings of PrEP and their implications for stigma, trust, and HIV prevention engagement among young people.

The study aims to inform more socially responsive HIV prevention programming and support the design of interventions that better reflect the lived realities of adolescents and young people in urban Malawi.