The big picture: young people and media
Young people use media - TV, radio, internet, newspapers or other outlets - because it's fun, exciting and imaginative, and because using the media is a great way to learn about the world.
Young people's participation in the media creates a platform for them to 'speak out' and have their voices heard. Increased participation in the media by children and young people brings about increased media literacy. It also encourages the media to provide better representation of children - that includes encouraging positive messages about children and young people and issues that concern them.
In recent years young people have been participating at all levels of the media production process, including in TV programmes, radio shows and newspapers, with interesting and often unexpected results.
Pride and self-esteem
Through their creative media participation, children and young people recognize that their voices are worth listening to, that they are part of their community, and that they have achieved an understanding of others and of their own culture. As a result, they build a strengthened sense of pride and self-esteem.
Positive representation
Direct participation gives children and young people an opportunity to express their viewpoints about what they want to see, hear and read about in the media. This includes advocating for the media to reflect children and young people from all cultures as positive and effective social actors within local, national and global communities.
Media literacy
By participating in the media at all levels, children and young people gain intimate knowledge of what drives the media as well as build the skills to produce their own media outputs so they can communicate their own messages and stories.
Information and inspiration
For many, creating media projects gives them an opportunity to look at the world around them through a new lens. This can lead to a greater understanding of that world on many different levels. It can also inspire action and a sense of responsibility to bring about change for one's self, one's family, school or community.
The section Voices of Youth deals with children's right to participate in the media and what young people all over the world are doing to exercise that right.
For more information visit: Voices of Youth (UNICEF)
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