:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/thenational/3a19f8a0-a23c-40eb-8a31-b37a1c92367a.png)
South Korean K-pop band BTS have released a new video urging young people to spread kindness, and to mark the International Day of Friendship.
BTS tweeted that to celebrate this day, “they are sending a special message to children and young people around the world”.
The two-and-a-half minute video is part of the UNICEF End Violence campaign, which aims to help lower violence in and around schools.
The short video features the group singing their hit single, Answer: Love Myself, while showing images of fictional stories of children and young people facing incidents of violence, bullying and fear in schools.
The stories are seen evolving as peers start to offer friendship, support and love to those being bullied and hurt. UNICEF and BTS have worked together for years, and together they launched the Love Yourself campaign to fight against violence two years ago on November 1, 2017.
Bullying and school violence is a growing issue around the world. Per UNICEF numbers, about 150 million students, half of which are 13 to 15 years of age, have reported experiencing peer-to-peer violence in and around school.
Since the launch of the campaign, BTS has raised more than US$2 million (Dh7.3 million) to help UNICEF in their bid to end violence in and around schools.
In December last year, children and young people from around the world drafted an #ENDviolence Youth Manifesto calling on governments, teachers, parents and each other, to help end violence and ensure students feel safe in and around school, including a commitment to being kind and respectful.
The campaign has already had many positive reactions on social media, especially from the ARMY, which is the name for BTS's passionate fan base who communicate with each other online.
The #endviolence and #BTSlovmyself hashtags are trending, with many shares of the video writing notes to remind each other to stay kind.