"[...] Against all odds, the book continues to hold a special place in the hearts of children. Reading aloud remains a special moment of complicity between adults and children. And that’s good news, given how important early reading is for learning language, overcoming fears, and understanding the
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world. Even teenagers, with their passion for romance and hero fantasies, will happily immerse themselves in a thick book [...] The growth of children’s books can also be measured by their economic good health. In 2023, the sector was worth almost US$12 billion worldwide, making it a publishing heavyweight in many countries. And this boom is not just due to the success of some global bestsellers. Everywhere, passionate publishers are producing quality books, including in non-mainstream languages. The book What makes us human, co-published by UNESCO, and already available in twenty-one editions, illustrates this approach well. And yet, despite its economic, symbolic, educational and cultural heft, children’s literature continues to suffer from a lack of recognition. Despite its successes, very little critical space is dedicated to the genre in the traditional media. It’s as if writing for children remains – in the minds of many – a minor activity, an eternal sub-genre." (Editorial)
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"This study investigated the effectiveness of civic education radio programmes on the behaviour of the youth in Freetown, Sierra Leone and how assessing and evaluating them could restructure the approach in order to yield the desired goals of supplementing the conventional school systems. “There i
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s no significant relationship between civic education radio programmes and the behaviour of the youth in Freetown Sierra Leone”, was the hypothesis that guided the research; and the Chi-squire test formula was used to test this hypothesis. The study was anchored on the Uses and Gratifications theory, the social responsibility theory and the social learning theory. A descriptive research method was used to implement this study. The youth of Freetown, from ages 15 to 35 years, as of 2021, a total of 248,508 was its population. Using the Taro Yamane’s formula for sampling, 393 respondents were arrived at for the sample size. The copies of the questionnaire were distributed to these respondents; and 11 oral interview questions were drawn as guide for data collection. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability test was used, with 0.73 result, and simple frequency/percentage analysis was used for analysis. The major findings of the study included: Civic education radio programmes were available for the consumption of the youth in Freetown. However, they had little or no effect on their behaviour as there were rampant uncivil behaviour, violence during elections, and public property vandalism amongst others. The work concluded that with continuous investigation, analysis and assessments, these programmes could be restructured to meet the desired impact on the behaviour of the youth. The study recommended, amongst others, that transistor radios be provided for the youth who could not afford digital and internet facilities, the designing and production of civic education programmes must involve trained personnel and the targeted audience together, and that civic education radio programmes should be included in the curricula of the schools." (Abstract)
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"In an era where digital interactions dominate, young people must be equipped with more than just basic digital literacy skills. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) has become an essential competency, enabling them to critically navigate the overwhelming _ow of information in our fast-paced and com
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plex information ecosystem. With the Internet user base getting younger every day - data shows that one in three internet users is a child - countries worldwide are increasingly working on integrating MIL into their education systems. Despite these advancements, many young people still grapple with challenges such as disinformation, hate speech, and other harmful online content. Additionally, new technologies continue to emerge, creating challenges with unknown impacts. For example, 80% of young people aged 10 to 24 use AI multiple times a day for education, entertainment, and other purposes. Global youth organizations are at the forefront of UNESCO's efforts to promote MIL among young people through informal education. This toolkit serves as a primary resource to help these organizations incorporate MIL into their strategies, policies, and operations, aiming to make MIL a lasting component of their practices and peer-to-peer educational programs." (Abstract)
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"Young people use digital media for various purposes, such as communication, entertainment, and information. As they grow up, their media repertoires become more complex and diverse. This article examines these media repertoires in more detail, considering the dynamic changes in individual developme
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nt, social circumstances, and deep mediatization. Using semi-structured interviews with young people and one parent each, as well as a media-actor mapping, the study reveals significant changes in the composition and function of media repertoires from late childhood to early and middle adolescence. Drawing on the theoretical background of communicative figurations, it highlights changes in media ensembles, actor constellations, frames of relevance, and communicative practices. Besides changes in media repertoires for coping with developmental tasks and individual transitions in life, social factors such as the role of family and peers are considered. The empirical findings also point to the added value of qualitative longitudinal data which allows for a comprehensive examination of the complexity of changing media repertoires within a deeply mediatized society and a rapidly evolving media environment." (Abstract)
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"This multi-disciplinary study aims to explore the diverse effects of social media on Afghan youth, focusing on usage patterns, mental health implications, entertainment-driven time allocation, financial expenditures, exposure to explicit content, and academic performance. Methods: A cross-sectional
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online survey was conducted between September and December 2023, gathering responses from 1556 participants (67% males, 33% females) through various social media platforms. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0, employing statistical tests such as ANOVA and Chi-Square to examine relationships between social media usage and its impacts. Results: The study reveals significant links between social media usage and demographic, behavioral, and mental health factors. Key findings include Facebook as the most used platform (83.6%), with the majority of participants spending 1–3 hours daily on social media. Age differences in time spent were significant (F=15.64, p<0.001). Entertainment was the primary use (45.5%), with gender differences in engagement levels. High anxiety (78.5%) and moderate depression (38.3%) were reported. Significant associations between social media use and mental health were found (eg, x2=591.87, p<0.001 for nervousness). Excessive use negatively impacted study habits, with 25.7% feeling it hindered their academic performance. Conclusion: This study highlights the multifaceted impacts of social media on Afghan youth, including both positive aspects like enhanced communication and empowerment and negative aspects such as mental health issues and academic challenges. The significant relationships between social media usage and various life aspects underscore the need for targeted interventions to promote healthy digital habits and mitigate adverse effects. Further research is recommended to explore long-term impacts and effective strategies for managing social media use among Afghan youth." (Abstract)
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