Technology is changing how young people learn, communicate, create and connect. Artificial intelligence and digital platforms are no longer emerging tools — they are already part of everyday life.
At the inaugural UN Youth Masterclass on Media and Information Literacy, AI and Responsible Digital Participation, 50 young Tanzanians came together to explore what this changing digital landscape means for them — and the choices it puts in their hands.
Leading the conversation was Maxence Melo, CEO and Founder of JamiiAfrica and JamiiForums, one of East and Central Africa’s most active online communities. Over more than a decade, Melo and JamiiAfrica have built a platform where many young Tanzanians go to access information, exchange ideas and stay informed on the issues that matter to them. More recently, JamiiAfrica has expanded into monitoring online gender-based violence, giving young people a space to flag harmful content, talk through their experiences and better understand how to navigate risks online. That work has shaped how a generation of young Tanzanians engages with digital spaces, and it placed Melo at the centre of a conversation about what comes next — an information environment increasingly shaped by AI.
His message to the young people in the room was direct, “We cannot outsource the most important thing — thinking. We cannot lose our agency.”
We cannot outsource the most important thing — thinking. We cannot lose our agency.
Maxence MeloCEO and Founder of JamiiAfrica and JamiiForums
Led by UNESCO as the first session of the new UN Youth Masterclass Series, the conversation moved beyond the risks of technology to the knowledge and skills young people need to navigate it with confidence and agency.
Control AI. Do not let AI control you
For Janet Charles, one of the young participants, one message stood out, “AI is a powerful tool, but how we use it matters. Understanding how to prompt, question and critically assess AI-generated information is an essential skill.”
As AI becomes part of how people search, learn and create, critical thinking matters more, not less. The question is not simply what AI can do, it is whether young people remain able to question, assess and make informed choices about what it produces.
AI is a powerful tool, but how we use it matters. Understanding how to prompt, question and critically assess AI-generated information is an essential skill.
Janet CharlesOne of the young participants
Pause. Think. Share.
The same principle applies to the information young people encounter every day. Participants explored how misinformation spreads, how to verify what they see, and why pausing before sharing matters.
“We have a responsibility to pause before believing or sharing information. Pause. Think. Share.” — Janet Charles.
Three words. One simple habit for a complex information environment: pause before reacting, think critically, and verify before sharing.
We have a responsibility to pause before believing or sharing information. Pause. Think. Share.
Janet CharlesOne of the young participants
