Four youth-made videos tackle cyberbullying online

Four videos made by people aged 16 to 21 tackle cyberbullying, grooming and sexting, aiming to help young people recognise and respond to risks online. Save the Children and the State Confederation of Student Associations, known as CANAE, launched the campaign in Madrid on 21 September. The young participants shaped it from the first ideas through to the scripts and finished videos.

Called Activa tu instinto digital, the campaign includes three films about online harassment, grooming and sexting. A fourth follows the participants’ work as they built the project.

From workshops to the screen

The project began with workshops in Extremadura and Murcia, where 50 girls and boys discussed the issues that concerned them most. Their early list included bullying, safety on social media, relationships, climate change and leaving school early.

A smaller working group then sorted the ideas, chose the main theme and developed the campaign’s key messages. It settled on digital wellbeing, with the films focusing on risks in internet use and social networks.

Young people choose the message

The group helped decide who the videos should reach, how they should sound and which channels could best reach young people. They also co-wrote the scripts and had a say over casting before filming began.

Their input continued in editing, covering digital effects and even the emojis used in screen conversations. Save the Children and CANAE say the aim is to make the situations feel recognisable and give young people practical help when they encounter online risks.

The campaign forms part of CERV 2024, Redes para la Participación Infantil y Juvenil, a European-funded project led by Save the Children’s Barcelona office. It seeks to strengthen the inclusion of children, teenagers and young people in local and national decision-making.

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com