The first regional youth, media literacy and digitalization lab was held on November 8, 2024, with the online participation of 24 participants, representatives from the civil society, media, academia and institutions of the Western Balkan countries – North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who discussed the current policies, situations and processes in the field of media literacy and digitalization in the region, through the prism of young people and their needs.
The meeting began with a presentation of the findings of the Comparative Analysis of Youth Policies in the Western Balkans, with a focus on the main challenges related to media literacy and digitalization. The findings were the starting point for the group discussion on the situation in the Balkans.
Divided into small groups consisting of representatives from all countries, the participants shared their perspectives on the main issues in the field of media literacy and digitalization in the region. The conclusions were shared in the plenary session with the intention of creating broader areas of interest related to the topic, which could be the subject of policy interventions at the national level.
Participants agreed that the gap between traditional media and young people has widened, and young people are increasingly losing interest in the type of content and information produced by traditional media. Traditional media should use social media and adapt their approach to find, reach and retain young audiences.
The creation and dissemination of false content online results in disinformation among young people, which most often obtain information online. The negative impact of the creation and dissemination of false content on individuals results in cyberbullying, online harassment and consequently the deterioration of the mental health of young audiences.
The lack of media literacy competencies among young people can only be addressed by developing critical thinking skills, and becoming familiar with issues of privacy and data security. However, the approach to developing media literacy competencies needs to be adapted to their learning models and needs, as well as their different approaches to technology.
In addition to young people, training in media and digital literacy is also needed for other social groups that deal most with young people, such as parents, teachers and other youth service providers. It was also found that mechanisms for regulating the activities of large digital corporations are lacking in the Western Balkan countries.
The Regional Laboratory for Youth, Media Literacy and Digitalization is part of the project “Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe – RYDE”, supported by the European Union. The project is implemented by the Center for Democracy Foundation from Serbia in cooperation with civil society organizations (CSOs) from the Western Balkans: Academy for European Integration and Negotiations and Youth Action Center (Albania), Kosovo Stability Initiative (Kosovo), Network of Progressive Initiatives (Bosnia and Herzegovina), NGO Info-center Foundation (North Macedonia) and Regional Academy for Democratic Development (Serbia).
