Every young person deserves a voice — and a safe space online: UNESCO and Maxence Melo champion critical thinking for Tanzania's youth

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."

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