Photo by Keira Burton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/multiracial-positive-male-and-female-students-using-smartphones-in-city-park-6146931/
Digital development has tremendously transformed lives and interactions across the globe during the past decades. The 2023 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) statistic shows, almost four in five (79%) of world’s youth aged between 15 and 24 use the internet, making the youth a generation of digital natives. Overall, more than two-thirds (67%) of the world’s population are internet users.
Digital technology creates opportunities and possibilities for youth to access education, training and employment, enhancing their possibilities to break intergenerational poverty circle, creating a more mobilised and innovative world. The abundant resources and knowledge that youth can access through digital platforms could also empower them for their self-development.
Youth and Digital Divide
While young people in high-income countries are driving forward the digital transformation, young people in the lower income countries are still struggling with the digital infrastructure affordability and internet accessibility challenges. According to the 2023 ITU statistics regarding the percentages of youth internet users, there is a two times gap between the high income countries (98%) and the lower income countries (45%); African countries are the most affected, remaining 53% in comparison to 98% in European countries.
Digital divide does not only exist between countries in different income groups, but also persists as a significant gap within and among different nations, regions (rural and urban), genders, age groups, etc. This disparity is evident in varying levels of digital literacy and skills among youth, which, despite theoretically global access to information, de facto results in unequal opportunities in the labour market.
The intersection of youth and technology presents a complex paradigm – while digital platforms enable unprecedented opportunities for social, economic, and political engagement, they simultaneously expose young people to significant risks, particularly in the realms of privacy, data security, and digital violence. According to the 2021 UNDP regional survey, young activists expressed that fake news (85%) and extremists’ content online (73%) are the top two challenges.
Data Security and Digital Violence
As young users increasingly engage with online platforms, their personal information is frequently harvested by tech companies for data-driven business models, often without informed consent or a full understanding of the risks. This raises critical concerns about data commodification and privacy awareness, particularly for young users who may lack digital literacy. However, large tech corporations earn profit from youth-generated content and personal data, offering little in return for the exploitation of their digital footprints. For example, the 2019 Facebook data breach, which exposed the personal information of over 500 million users, serves as a stark reminder of the data vulnerability that accompanies digital participation for all including youth.
The problem is further compounded by the prevalence of digital violence, a term that encompasses cyberbullying, online harassment, and hate speech – phenomena that disproportionately affect women, minorities, and other marginalised communities. Recent studies highlight that nearly 60% of U.S. teenagers have experienced some forms of cyberbullying, which can severely impact mental health, leading to more anxiety, depression, and in extreme cases, self-harm. Youth from disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly susceptible, facing compounded risks in both the virtual and physical worlds.
As cybercrime evolves, the impact on youth is becoming increasingly pronounced. For example, The TalkTalk Hack (BBC, 2018) – the company incurred millions of pounds in fines and reparations due to a security breach caused by a 15 years old boy who used simple techniques to gain unauthorised access to personal details of thousands of customers. Such incidents highlight not only the vulnerability of digital infrastructures but also the pressing need for governments and tech companies to adopt proactive cybersecurity protocols that can protect and prevent the youth from cybercrime.
In light of these issues, it becomes imperative for stakeholders – ranging from policymakers to tech companies – to practice a clear approach to digital ethics, emphasising individual choice and youth protections for young users. By fostering digital literacy and creating robust safety frameworks, we can mitigate the darker aspects of youth’s digital engagement and ensure that technology remains a force for empowerment rather than exploitation.
Mindset of Sustainable Consumption on Technology
The mindset of sustainable consumption in the digital age is an increasingly critical concept, particularly when it comes to youth interaction with technology. As digital natives, young people are often unaware of the ecological footprint left by their everyday digital activities, such as streaming videos, gaming, and using cloud services. The energy demand of data centres that powers platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and Instagram has skyrocketed, contributing significantly to global carbon emissions. Recent studies show that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector could account for as much as 14% of the global carbon footprint by 2040, driven largely by the proliferation of energy-intensive data centres and the increasing demand for digital services. This unchecked digital consumption not only exacerbates environmental degradation but also raises concerns about the sustainability of the digital economy.
To counter this, increasing the awareness of individual digital footprint and fostering the mindset of sustainable digital consumption among youth are essential. AI can be used for work that does not require decision-making, cognitive skills, and critical thinking. It can increase efficiency and create more opportunities for innovation with “the right training data”. Furthermore, initiatives such as promoting alternative and low-energy search engines, or advocating for reduced streaming quality to save bandwidth and energy, are practical steps toward green technology adoption. Moreover, youth-led movements are also beginning to demand greater corporate social responsibility from tech giants, urging tech giants like Google and Amazon to transition to renewable energy sources, i.e. no carbon-based electricity, which would minimise the CO2 footprint for their data centres.
Youth in Policy-Making Process towards Technology
In the digital era, youth is the main digital prosumer, having immense potential to contribute to technology development. However, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth (2022) argued that meaningful engagement of youth in policy making processes, including technology development and related policies, is missing. Youth as the key stakeholders during the technology advancement process should be consulted, their perspectives should be reflected in policies and service delivery. This also helps increase mutual trust between youth and policy makers, and improve accountability, transparency and inclusiveness of the policy making process.
To actively engage and advocate more young people in the technology policy making process, it is necessary to simplify the legal and technical terms for policy discussion and consultation, and use less legal jargon without deluding the gravity of the issues. Moreover, we can promote digital gamification (e.g. using virtual reality technology to experience different decision-making scenarios) for young people to motivate their participation in the policy making process. For example, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has developed a metaverse platform in 2021 to facilitate communication with young participants involved in the Ministry’s youth policy participation campaign. Through policy discussions and consultations, participants formulated cultural policies related to the young generation, and finally selected two projects for actual implementation.
Essentially, the role of technology as a catalyst in driving youth engagement in global development presents a dual-edged narrative – both a boon and a bane. While it has undeniably empowered youth by providing avenues for activism, economic participation, and education, the pervasive digital divide, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and unsustainable digital consumption highlight the pressing need for balanced, inclusive, and responsible policies. Bridging these gaps and ensuring meaningful youth involvement in policy-making processes, especially regarding technological development, will be pivotal in transforming technology into a truly empowering force for global sustainable development.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 873119.
