We suggest that a commitment to political Participatory Design defines a new role for children in participatory practices – the role of protagonist. In this role, the objective extents beyond giving children a voice in design, to more broadly address how they can be empowered to shape technological development and critically reflect on the role of technology in their practices. This re-accentuation of political Participatory Design and the formulation of the protagonist role is important in terms of deepening our understanding of how children may be empowered through design, and is timely in relation to current challenges pertaining to training children within the context of 21st century skills. Through a case study we demonstrate how the role of protagonist, based on political Participatory Design, changes the objective, process, and outcome measures of the design process.