Youth clubs hold key to help kids navigate digital world safely

PARENTS have always scratched their heads over what young people like to do in their spare time.

- Jamie Masraff

Since the 1950s - when they fretted about rock 'n' roll being a bad influence on their teens - they've worried about their children's social lives. But with the rise of digital technology in an increasingly complex world, such worries feel harder than ever to navigate.

OnSide's latest annual survey of 11 to 18-year-olds, published today, found that four in 10 are turning to Artificial Intelligence for advice, support or company. For one in five, that's because they find it easier than talking to a real person.

Think about that; a significant number of youngsters feel more comfortable asking AI chatbots for advice than family, friends or trusted adults. Add an existing reliance on social media for friendships (76% spend most of their free time on screens) and a dearth of safe social spaces where they can develop real-life relationships (only 12% go to youth clubs) and this generation is navigating relationships in ways that differ radically from any before.

Clearly, technology is here to stay, but the tension between the rise of the digital world and the closing down of in-person alternatives is having a huge impact on young people's well-being and the development of skills they need for adulthood.