A video that touched thousands of hearts on social media made me stop and reflect. On March 23, a short compilation was published by a television station during the month of Ramadan. Among various messages, some children recited religious phrases such as: “I am proud to be a Muslim” and “I love Islam.” This 55-second clip was a product of a media industry that knows the algorithm all too well. Its editing and distribution made it clear that the aim was emotional appeal, evoking sensitivity and driving virality.
At first glance, the video may seem like a school play with sincere, well-groomed, smiling children. But it is more than that. It’s a carefully crafted piece of content that doesn’t invite questions but offers ready-made answers. A single message, wrapped in emotion, designed to be accepted without reflection. What made me pause wasn’t a desire to debate or oppose religion, but to reflect on how the media shapes children’s thinking — and what kind of education is being offered in the public space.
In a reality exhausted by poor education and superficial information, we need content that challenges what is applauded along with media that does not confuse emotion with value or public interest.
When the media places children in the service of a prepackaged religious narrative, one that does not originate from them, it betrays its own mission. The role of the media is to inform without manipulation and to report without imposing. Equally important is its responsibility toward children: to preserve their childhood as a free space for play, growth and discovery, along with upholding their fundamental right to choose. When children are unaware that they have the right to choose, any imposed worldview risks stifling curiosity and limiting free thought.
A video like this, published by a television station, is not a spontaneous reflection of reality — it is a curated product, designed to evoke emotion and boost virality. No matter how well-intentioned the content may be, the media is not a mirror but a stage. Every headline, every decision about what to show and what to leave out, is a political act in itself, one that directly shapes how social reality is constructed.
Editorial decisions, what to publish, how to present it and what to leave out, are never neutral. They shape what society views as normal, acceptable or invisible, including perceptions of religion and how children begin to see themselves. The media’s influence often doesn’t come through direct messaging, but through repeated representations that gradually shape our collective understanding of what is considered good, valuable or worthy of emulation.
The instrumentalization of children
When education fails to foster critical thinking, as is often the case in our society, the media fills the vacuum according to its own interests and the influence it seeks to exert. But children deserve more than a single orientation. They have the right to be multidimensional: to be curious, to explore science, technology, art, philosophy — and even religion, if they choose. In a healthy society, that’s the role of education.
But when education is not treated as a priority and fails to teach critical thinking, the media steps in to shape thought, not to broaden horizons but to narrow them. Kosovo urgently needs genuine educational reform that fosters and encourages critical thinking — not just passive memorization — because a sustainable society is built on knowledge. If schools do not teach students how to analyze, those who accept every piece of information without question will become the future of this country. And that future is neither bright nor promising.
The media, meanwhile, must open horizons that encourage the formation of independent identities, grounded in human and civic values. Children, as citizens of this country, have the right not to be reduced to their religious beliefs as the single trait that defines them. A child can become anything, if we allow them to discover for themselves what it means to be “good,” rather than defining it for them from an early age. Religious faith requires special care — not because it is dangerous, but because it deserves to be understood and consciously embraced. Religion is not the issue in this text. The instrumentalization of children is.
That is why I am discussing this video without any fear. It was not me who put these children in front of the camera. It was adults, the parents and the media, who decided to turn them into public content. When a child is reduced to an image meant to evoke emotion and generate clicks — turned into a product for emotional consumption — the responsibility does not lie with the public that reacts, but with those who chose to expose them. And when you publish a video that touches millions, you must also be prepared for the questions that follow. Because responsibility begins precisely at the moment the decision is made to present a child as an “example” for others — without awareness, without choice and without alternatives.
The instrumentalization of children by the media demands not only ethical reflection but also sustained institutional oversight. The Independent Media Commission (IMC), as the regulator of the audiovisual media space, holds a clear responsibility to protect children from any form of media exploitation that could hinder their natural development. Codes of ethics explicitly prohibit involving children in content that exploits their sensitivity or burdens them with ideological, religious or political weight. The IMC, in particular, has an obligation to ensure that such cases do not go unnoticed. After all, protecting children is not just a moral principle — it is a public responsibility and an institutional duty.
It is time to take this seriously. When children become instruments of emotion rather than thought, we no longer have education — we have indoctrination. It is time to stop applauding when they merely recite and start applauding when they start asking. Even when they ask big, difficult, uncomfortable questions like: “What is God?”
Feature image: K2.0.
This article is funded by the European Union and the “SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Shared Society in the Western Balkans” regional project implemented by Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD), Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) and Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) and financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA).
The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the project implementers and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA), Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD), Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) or Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM).
Want to support our journalism? Become a member of HIVE or consider making a donation. Learn more here.
