Engaged for Change: Youth, Digital Spaces, and Social Movements

From international climate change activism to engagement with hyperlocal issues, youth have tapped into the networking power of social media and other online spaces to build communities, inform themselves, and engage in social and cultural change.  How is digital media providing unique ways for youth to advocate for more positive outcomes for themselves and their peers?  How does the intersection of race, gender, class, and age affect what online leadership and engagement looks like for different youth subpopulations? What can caregivers, educators, and communities do to embrace and safely encourage children’s desire to get involved in social movements for positive change online?

Children and Screens’ #AskTheExperts webinar “Engaged for Change: Youth, Digital Spaces, and Social Movements” was held on Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 12pm via Zoom. A panel featuring a leading youth digital advocate and experts in adolescent development, education, and social welfare examined the development of civic engagement in young people, provided examples of online youth leadership and community, reviewed challenges and risks youth may encounter, and discussed factors that enhance positive use of digital spaces.