Abstract Bullying is a serious problem concerning us all. The problem has already been tackled within HCI research, including different design and technology-based interventions, some of which strongly advocate human agency, social responsibility, action taking, and ownership for children. Along these lines, we address the problem of bullying in collaboration with children through critical design and Making. Critical and empowering approaches have aroused interest in child computer interaction (CCI) research, while we particularly explore Theatre of the Oppressed as a tool for evaluating design concepts with children and for empowering children to act as agents of change. Different theatre and drama-based methods have been utilized in CCI, while their potential for empowering children remains poorly explored. This study positions Theatre of the Oppressed within critical design and Making process, examines children’s experiences with it and scrutinizes in which sense it can be considered empowering, with implications for CCI research and design.