Programme: Erasmus+
Key Action: Partnerships for cooperation and exchanges of practices
Action Type: Cooperation partnerships in youth
Project Identifier: 2023-1-DE04-KA220-YOU-000167094
Project Title: “Creative youth work on prevention of negative impact of social media influencers on youth”
Topics: Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; Media literacy and tackling disinformation; Quality and innovation of youth work
Results Platform Project Card: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2023-1-DE04-KA220-YOU-000167094
Coordinating organisation and country: Outreach Hannover e.V., DE
Participating Countries: DE, EE, RS, IT, FR, HR
Funded by: the JUGEND für Europa, the German National Agency for the Erasmus+ Youth programme.
Project duration: 01/12/2023 – 31/07/2025
About the project:
While some argue that influencers can inspire and motivate young people to pursue their goals and aspirations, others suggest that they can have a negative impact on young people’s mental health and well-being. On the positive side, some influencers use their platforms to promote positive messages and provide a sense of community for their followers. They can be role models for young people, inspiring them to pursue their passions and achieve their goals, promote healthy lifestyles or share tips for managing stress and anxiety.
However, there are concerns about the potential negative effects of social media influencers on young people. Some influencers may promote unrealistic beauty standards or unhealthy diet and exercise habits, which can contribute to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Additionally, the pressure to present a perfect image on social media can lead to anxiety and depression, particularly for young people who are still developing their sense of self.
The motivation of the partners with this project is to recognise the potential benefits and drawbacks of social media influencers for young people, but at the same time to put an accent that youth organisations also have a strong role to play within this process, as they should encourage young people to critically evaluate the messages they see on social media and develop a healthy relationship with technology. It’s also important for the wider community to be aware of the impact social media can have on young people and use their platforms responsibly.
Youth organisations are not only invited to contribute to the awareness raising efforts, but also to take an action to advocate for the implementation of the EU law which calls upon more and better media literacy and informational activities to raise critical thinking of youth and other users of social media. The motivation of the project is also to seek complementarity to implement the recently revised Audio-visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) which strengthens the role of media literacy and requires EU members to promote measures that develop media literacy skills (Article 33a). The revised AVMSD also obliges video-sharing platforms to provide effective media literacy measures and tools. This is a crucial requirement due to the central role such platforms play in giving access to audio-visual content. Platforms are also required to raise users’ awareness of these measures and tools (Article 28b). The revised AVMSD has strengthened provisions to protect children and youth from inappropriate audio-visual commercial communications. Video-sharing platforms also have to respect certain obligations for the commercial communications.
The goal of our project is to prevent the negative impact and influence of social media influencers on youth. This specific goal is part of the general efforts towards responsible use of the internet both by young people, but also the responsibility to provide online safety from the public institutions and private companies. It is the role of young workers to accompany young people through building competences of critical thinking and media literacy. It is also their role to advocate based on the EU standards protecting young people on the internet.
Specific objectives of the project:
- To empower youngsters in critical thinking and media literacy through developing a toolkit with a set of innovative workshops and tools.
- To empower youth workers in creativity for prevention of negative impact of social media influencers on youth, through developing curriculum.
- To build the capacity of youth workers to advocate towards local and national governments on implementing the European standards protecting young people on the internet such as Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), Digital services act and the European strategy for a better Internet for children.
The project will provide resources to youth workers through a new toolkit with innovative independent workshops addressing development of critical thinking and media literacy among youngsters. It will also be innovative through the development of an escape room that teaches young people how to identify and resist negative social media influences (with quizzes, problem-solving challenges, etc.) – with detailed multiplication instructions. This ensures that the reached capacity building will also be supported by tools that can be used and multiplied beyond the partner associations. In addition, the project will produce a curriculum for the training course of youth workers with developing skills of youth workers for creative approach and an online course for youth workers’ advocacy on European standards for protecting young people on the internet such as the AVMSD.
Results and outputs
| Output | Description | Access |
|---|---|---|
| O1 – Toolkit | Toolkit for empowering youngsters in critical thinking and media literacy for prevention of negative impact of social media influencers. This 50‑page resource contains theoretical background, 10 ready‑to‑use workshops and an educational escape‑room game. It helps youth workers run engaging sessions on social media awareness and media literacy. | • English
|
| O2 – Curriculum | Curriculum – Empowering youth workers in creative methodology for prevention of negative impact of social media influencers on youth. It provides a structured training course, session plans and recommendations for youth workers. Local training courses using this curriculum were piloted in all six partner countries. | • English
|
| O3 – Online course | Youth workers in advocacy action for implementation of European standards for protecting young people on the internet. This self‑paced online course helps youth workers learn about EU regulations (AVMSD, Digital Services Act, Better Internet for Kids) and how to advocate for them. | • multi-language |
*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.