Don't blindly follow social media stars, highlights Sharjah Press Club event in Riyadh

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Graduates of the Ithmar Media Training Programme for Children and Adolescents, organised by the Sharjah Press Club — a division of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau — took part on Tuesday in the third edition of the Saudi Media Forum, held from February 19 to 21 in Riyadh. The Ithmar trainees participated in a lively media debate on the impact of following social media celebrities on the identity and personality of children and young people.

Participating in the debate, Ithmaar graduates shined light on the negative impact of blindly following social media celebrities, and its repercussions on building and shaping the personality of a young individual.

The UAE students stressed the importance of choosing those offering positive and purposeful content that is consistent with values, traditions, and moral and societal constants of the country and plays a positive role in enhancing healthy knowledge and capabilities.

The Ithmar trainees also emphasised the importance of the role of media education programmes that promote media awareness in the new generation and build a culture of dealing ethically with content offered by various media outlets.

Asma Al Juwaied, Manager of the Sharjah Press Club, pointed out that the SPC’s participation in the activities of the Saudi Media Forum stems from a keenness to strengthen effective regional professional cooperation, and to exchange notes on the leading trends and challenges in the media sector with experts and specialists in order to come up with strategies to strengthen the Arab media sector.

The participation in the Saudi Media Forum debate, Al Juwaied added, led by two Ithmar graduates, is part of the Programme’s objectives to continue the media training of children and young people, building their capabilities and knowledge, and channelling their energies usefully, by giving them opportunities to participate in various media events at the national and regional levels.

The debate helped enhance the new generation’s awareness of the importance of choosing content that contributes beneficially to building personality, and emphasises the necessity of using social media in the right and positive manner, she added.

The annual media training programme, Ithmar, was launched by the Sharjah Press Club in 2019 and aims to enhance capabilities and talents and consolidate media awareness among the new generation between the ages of 10 and 17, through an interactive training plan that addresses the key areas and aspects of journalism and media profession and industry, in cooperation with the leading experts, specialists and media institutions in the country.