Our Youth Advisory Report looks back at the mahi of 2021

Some of the highlights from our shared mahi include:

Real world opportunities for members of the Panel

Co-views of censorship screenings for films, presenting at INVOLVE 2021 conference, presenting at New Echo Systems conference, and presenting to the Justice Committee on the Harmful Digital Communications Act Amendment Bill.

“We have deep and enriching conversations that I can’t have with people in my personal life.” - Panel Member

Offensive language

We asked the Panel to look at offensive language across a series of meetings this year. They watched a series of clips where characters used offensive language. We then discussed the impact of the language, its context, and how the language made them feel. They also talked about how their friends and whānau would feel about the language used.

“The f-word is used to fill up space and give more volume to what characters are saying.” - Panel member

Campaign highlights

The Panel provided hot tips and messages for our lockdown campaign and The Bare Facts “nudes” campaign. The panel were honest, vulnerable and committed to these campaigns and the messages we were sharing. They answered questions about what was bothering them during lockdown, and we asked them difficult questions about sending and sharing nudes to help inform our messaging.

“People are going to take nudes and share them but you have trust with the person that you share them with. They should respect that and not share them further on.” - Panel Member

National Security

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) consulted with the Panel to hear their views on the biggest national security concerns young people face in 2021. The Panel highlighted their concerns about New Zealand’s cybersecurity and lack of digital infrastructure, the impacts of large globalised companies such as Meta, and online radicalisation. From this discussion the Panel have made both a written and oral submission to DPMC.

“We are anxious about online radicalisation. The lack of internet regulation allows communities of likeminded people to connect, share hate, and incite violence. Some of us expect an event like the Christchurch mosque attack to happen again in the future”- Panel member

Stereotypes and rangatahi

The Panel demonstrated that young people are diverse, discussing their varied watching habits and perspectives. Young people are interested in every type of media, listing off examples ranging from reality shows and teen dramas, to financial podcasts and Reddit. Young people are aware that messages in the media and society make generalising statements about them, often dismissing their opinions and ideas.

“It’s impossible to truthfully narrow down what people watch, especially what young people watch.” - Panel member

We are excited to continue this journey with the Panel and values the power of youth voice. A huge thank you.

You can read our full report online now.