All resources for Online Community Engagement for PVE

Youth as a demographic are distinctive in their general level of digital literacy and online engagement. Virtual spaces are often the primary spaces in which they communicate, connect, receive information, influence, and are influenced themselves. Those seeking to engage with youth online must keep the following in mind:

• Engaging youth on social media is not as easy as it may seem. It is important to understand exactly where and how youth are active online, and which populations they represent. Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook might be popular worldwide, but they are not necessarily the most popular with your specific youth audience, and some countries have banned these platforms. You also might find that platform choice in your target audience might vary widely in regards to the background, education level, gender, or political ideology of a young person. It is likely that your intervention will need to involve multiple platforms and approaches in order to approach equal representation. 
• The internet can be positive and supportive for youth, but it can also be a place of harassment, censorship and negative repercussions outside their control. When encouraging certain kinds of online behavior in young people, discuss possible ramifications with them in depth.  
• While digital spaces increasingly have a low-barrier-to-entry due to the expansion of mobile phones and internet infrastructure in rural or under-resourced communities, you should not overestimate the amount of youth who have access to these spaces. It is also important to keep in mind that the internet is not a neutral space, and you still need to be conscientious in your practice in order to avoid reproducing unequal power structures between different youth populations.