The Best Work in the Youth Category < The Minister of Foreign Affairs Prize >
< The Minister of Foreign Affairs Prize >
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Entering Organization | VERTOV KRO-NCRV NPO |
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| Country/Region | The Netherlands | ||
| Media | Film |
In a very short and effective way, #tagged challenges us to think about and discuss the way smartphones shape the lives of young people today. It’s done in an innovative way that young people will immediately recognize.
Through her smartphone, #tagged follows a 14-year-old girl, for 24 hours. The phone is both the centre of her life and of the screen. We see her struggling to balance her online life and her real life with her friends and family. When things get out of control, she is faced with consequences that she never could have imagined and that have a long-lasting impact.
By watching the story unfold on the device, we are reminded of the way phones mediate our existence and separate us from the world around us. We all and especially young people, should consider what we post about ourselves and others.
When we made #tagged, we set out with a mission: to raise awareness about the role smartphones play in our lives: for both teens and adults. If we think it is normal to have seat belts in cars to protect us, why should we not think about ways to keep us and our children safe from our devices? So we can enjoy the benefits, but stay in control.
#tagged is centered on this question. A film about the sweet intimacy and destructive power of social media, told from the point of view of a smartphone of a 14-year-old girl. The film works immersively, capturing the audience's gaze and confronting them with a view that is instantly recognizable.
It has been inspiring to see how #tagged sparks conversations around the world. We hope these conversations will help us find a way, as a society, to keep our tech serving us, instead of the other way around.