Youth, media and public discourse during the pandemic in Chile

Abstract

This paper explores how media and public discourse around youth and COVID-19 intersect with the attitude and wellbeing of young people. The qualitative methodology used for this study consisted in an online workshop that involved 4 focus groups and a socio-demographic survey with 13 teenagers between 13 and 17 years old from different areas and contexts in Chile, including their daily routines and experiences during the pandemic. Results show that youth reported being affected by media and public discourses in their daily lives during the sanitary crisis, and perceived to be stigmatized, instrumentalized and invisibilized in terms of their agency, abilities and ethics of care to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.