CHILDREN AS CONTENT CREATORS: EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES AND NAVIGATING MEDIA IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Abstract

The surge of marketing and media communication targeting children as digital consumers prompts questions about their vulnerability and understanding of these messages. This qualitative study, grounded in Social Construct Theory, explores how children's messages are constructed, marketed, and disseminated in the digital media marketplace. The study considers children's interactions with traditional practices and emerging content-creation strategies. This insightful exploration aims to inform ethical marketing practices, empower children as discerning active media participants, and contribute to fostering media literacy in the digital landscape. The study employs narrative methods like thematic analysis and discourse analysis to showcase children's online expression. The article shows how children utilise different digital formats for diverse content creation and employ specific stylistic elements to achieve their functional goals. This probe highlights a significant shift: children are becoming active players in creating the internet environment rather than passive consumers. They are producing material, expressing themselves, and even generating income in addition to consuming content. To provide a secure and encouraging online environment for these budding young creators, this disruptive trend demands a sophisticated knowledge of children's digital experiences.