Digital engagement among young people continues to rise significantly. Senior high school students and their equivalents are no longer merely consumers of information, but have increasingly become content producers who actively shape public discourse on social media.
The We Are Social 2024 report notes that 87 percent of Indonesia’s Gen Z are actively creating or sharing digital content, with daily internet usage ranging from 7 to 9 hours.
This level of intensity positions students as a strategic group within the national information ecosystem, while also making them particularly vulnerable to exposure to problematic content.
Exposure to Negative Content as a Serious Challenge
High levels of digital activity are not always matched by healthy content quality. Data from Microsoft’s Digital Civility Index 2023 shows that nearly half of Indonesian teenagers report frequent exposure to hate speech and online bullying.
The impact of such exposure is also reflected in UNICEF’s 2023 research, which indicates that repeated encounters with negative content can affect adolescents’ mental health, including reduced self-confidence and social empathy. This situation highlights a gap between the vast potential of digital spaces and the quality of information consumed by students.
At the same time, Indonesia possesses a wealth of positive narratives, from cultural heritage and local potential to youth achievements, that are often overshadowed by sensational content.
Good Creators Academy as an Intervention
In response to these challenges, Good News From Indonesia (GNFI) launched the Good Creators Academy (GCA), a capacity-building program targeting senior high school students and equivalent levels as prospective positive content creators.
GCA is designed to cultivate creators who are not only technically proficient, but also grounded in values, ethics, and responsibility in digital media. Participants are equipped with skills in constructive journalism, storytelling, video production and editing, public speaking, personal branding, and digital ethics.
The program positions content as a medium for conveying values, rather than merely a tool for seeking attention.
Multi-Stage Selection and Online Learning
The participants’ journey began with an open selection process that attracted hundreds of students from across Indonesia. Applicants were active senior high school students or equivalent, with active social media accounts and a demonstrated interest in producing positive content.
From this initial stage, selected participants joined an Online Bootcamp and Mentoring program held from early November to early December 2025. Over ten virtual training sessions, materials were delivered by media practitioners and professional creators using a hands-on, practice-oriented approach.
Participants were required to write articles for publication on the GNFI platform and produce short inspirational videos. This stage served as a key assessment of participants’ consistency, content quality, and understanding of their responsibility in conveying meaningful messages.
Offline Camp and Program Impact
Top-performing participants advanced to an Inspirational Offline Camp in Jakarta in mid-December 2025. The program included final project presentations, mentor-led discussions, content showcases, and educational visits, including to Unilever Indonesia as a collaborative partner.
Gusti, one of the participants, shared that the experience offered a new perspective:
“What stood out the most was the opportunity to meet friends from different regions and interact directly with mentors. It wasn’t just about learning technical skills, but also about learning how to think and carry ourselves as creators,” he said.
The GCA event series concluded with the announcement of the five most outstanding participants. Overall, the program generated hundreds of positive content pieces distributed across various digital platforms, reaching millions of impressions, while also building an alumni network expected to remain active in spreading constructive narratives in the digital space.
Shaping the Future of Indonesia’s Digital Ecosystem
Amid the overwhelming flow of digital information, initiatives such as the Good Creators Academy demonstrate that digital spaces do not have to be dominated by sensational or harmful content.
By equipping students with skills, values, and a sense of responsibility from an early age, young people can be guided to become not only active digital participants, but also conscious of the impact of every piece of content they create and share.
The program underscores a crucial point: the future of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem will be largely determined by the quality of today’s younger generation. When creative potential is guided in the right direction, social media can function as a space for learning, inspiration, and the amplification of positive narratives that resonate with a broader society.
