Trapped Within was a Community Action Project partnership between Mess Up The Mess and Forsythia Youth Project on the Gurnos estate, a communities first area in Merthyr Tydfil.
The young people varied in ages with different experiences. The one thing they had in common was Social Media and how they used it. The young people had struggled with how it consumed them and worries around bullying and sharing of private information.
Young peoples motivations for the idea included:
- One young person was in Year 7 and already been suspended from school as she was constantly using her phone for up to 12 hours a day. They were addicted to the pull of social media.
- Another young person shared how they were part of a banter page online and had their private intimate life shared anonymously on Facebook. The young person realised once it is shared they can’t take it back. They analysed that the banter page was just a place of bullying. No matter how many times the page was reported another one would reappear.
- Another young person who said they were struggling with trolls online. One second there was like minded young people that he had befriended and then they turned into bully trolls. They struggled to know how to get unfriend them and change their social media settings.
This led to the group deciding we needed to make a difference to social media. Raising the awareness to young people and adults and to empower them how to use social media in a safer way; to improve their wellbeing.
This developed into an immersive narrative driven escape room highlighting the way we all use social media.
“Imagine you’re locked in a bedroom and you only have an hour in which to solve a mystery and escape. The only way to leave is by finding clues and solving problems. In an age where bullying has changed and it’s easy to hide behind a keyboard can YOU beat the trolls at their own game?”
This was held in a flat on the Gurnos estate. Participants went into the world of Peter, a young person who had gone missing due to the stress of social media. It was the job of the players to figure what was the cause and how to stop the internet from taking over.
SIBLING: Hello? Oh! You must be Peter’s friends, right? Come on in. Peter’s just popped out, but I’m sure he’ll be back any minute.
SIBLING leads the players into Peter’s room. SIBLING waits in the bedroom door.
SIBLING: Actually, guys this is a perfect situation. My brother Peter has been acting really strange recently and me and my Nan are really unsure of what’s wrong with him. He’s not eating and he hardly leaves the house. So, could you do me a favour and look around his room and see if you can find anything that’ll tell us what’s wrong? Is that ok? Yes! Thanks guys, I really appreciate it! I’ll be right back.
(Slams door shut, locking the players in)
The young people from Forsythia Youth project, developed the story of Peter, set and re-set the game, gave hints to the players, helped tech the space and helped run a workshop in online safety and helped audience member to pledge to use social media in a safer, kinder and more mindful way.
Over 70 audiences members attended. They were participants of Forsythia Youth project, Youth workers, parents/families, friends and Assembly Members of the Parliament. The Members of Parliament took the concerns of the young people around Social media to parliament, urging a change in how it is being monitored in order to improve people’s wellbeing.
This project then was toured at Rawffest – a youth led festival in Newport where young people across Wales came and shared their work. Over 50 young people took part and pledged to make a difference.
Key Aims
- To make young people use Social Media in a more positive way (No bullying, thinking before you tweet..)
- To use reduce the amount of time some young people use social media (young people obsessed with being on social media up to 12 hours a day)
- Being more safe and secure on social media (knowing your privacy settings on social media and posting appropriately not giving sensitive information out to others)
Change Targets
– Reduce the time young people spend on social media and use this time more positively
– Stop the creations and shutting down of banter pages, as they are being used as way to bully and expose peoples private lives on Facebook anonymously
Key Achievements
- Creation of an immersive, interactive theatre piece in a council house
- Petition to campaign for shutting down banter pages
- Young people and audience were supported to change their personal security settings on social media to friends/family or private.