Nowadays we see numerous articles about teenagers-changemakers and everyone knows who is Greta Thunberg or Malala Yousufzai. People love reading stories about teenagers with passion who change the world, which is understandable: their stories are fascinating. But over the past ten years, as youth activism has become a trend, media arose a question: is it worth politicizing young people, especially teenagers?

The need begets action. Activism events, such as mass protests, have always been an answer to the problems in local community or in the whole world. In the 20th century, activism started getting more and more popular after the Cold War. People who participated in shaping their future were mostly university students over 21 years old and older people, for example, Emmeline Pankhurst was 45 years old when she created a Women’s Social and Political Union.

Our century is characterized by free access to the Internet and all resources; these times everyone has an opportunity to talk and be heard. Passion and energy – that’s what has always distinguished young people from adults, Therefore, it is not surprising that the age of participation in activist events has decreased significantly. Teenagers often have to hear from older generations that they have no experience and should not talk about topics they do not understand, but it is young people who are now putting together huge projects that shape our future.

The fact is that many children do not receive a proper understanding of politics: schools in many countries do not have separate lessons in political science or economics, and parents consider children too young to talk about serious topics. The lack of proper and necessary knowledge often makes people passive, not interested in global problems and considering themselves small people, unable to change anything. Youth activism, in turn, promotes the development of critical thinking and the active participation of adolescents in shaping their future and themselves as individuals, because volunteering and participation in global events contributes not only to the development of the world, but also to the development of internal qualities, teamwork and a sense of personal responsibility.

However, there is a huge risk that lies in the power of media and possible manipulations. A picture of a child or an adolescent fighting for the environment or women’s rights will get more reactions from the public than an already established adult with the same goal: “they are so young and already talking about adult topics”. This puts children at risk, because one of the young activists from the photo in the news may turn out to be a “doll” of adults who use them for selfish purposes. This topic is already common in blogging, especially on children's Youtube channels and show business, and there is nothing that can protect the sphere of activism from this phenomenon.

Parents of young activists have to be attentive. While volunteering makes positive impact on the world, activism has another side of a medal: harassment, arrest, violence, burnout and mental problems. Youth has power to change the world, but they need adults nearby so that their activities bring only good results for the world and the activist.