Empowering Children and the Media (ECM) is a coordinated strategy which, with children’s meaningful participation, aims to improve media’s portrayal of children through the respect, protection and promotion of children’s rights in media and media practice. This programme is highly interactive, relying on the participation of all stakeholders, including children themselves.

The site provides a ‘one stop shop’ showcasing all of MMA’s children’s initiatives, such as:

• Hashplay– a set of social media guidelines and an online game designed to help children and young people test and grow their knowledge of online safety and ‘nettiquitte’.
• Bona Bana– An interactive tool that identifies media trends, gaps and strengths on child reporting and links and compares these to the reality of children in South Africa.
• Make Abuse Disappear Online Accountability Tool (MAD OAT), an online media advocacy tool that highlights the best and worst examples of media reporting on children
• Guidelines-The development and dissemination of editorial guidelines and practical tips for journalists and newsrooms
• An honours-level course at Wits University that seeks to empower them with new skills and demonstrating how children’s rights can be respected in the media without compromising on the quality of reporting.
• Research reports– findings from child and adult media monitoring and other academic research projects.
• Children’s News Agency – News by young people, for young people.

Follow @U18MattersZA for regular updates on MMA’s children’s programme, including training dates.