What Technologies does future need?

The destruction of the natural environment has sparked anger and frustration among young people¹, who have taken to the streets to demand change, and yet threats to their digital environment are less widely discussed. Young people around the world are disillusioned that their futures are being drastically impacted by the actions and decisions of older generations, who they feel have not done enough to act responsibly and sustainably. The threats to our natural environment run parallel to the systemic challenges and threats to democracy that come from digital technologies; they demand the same attention from younger generations. Young people care about the digital environment they inhabit and will inherit and we need to listen to them and involve them in the conversation about their digital future.

Two years after industry leaders and influencers publicly acknowledged their own concerns about the impact of technology on young people, very little has been done.

Young people use private devices to access public spaces at a time in their lives when they are developing as individuals and learning to independently explore the world outside of the home.

As many children use their phones and tablets not only for entertainment and communication, but also as safety, coordination and support devices, new dependencies form. Studies show that devices have moved to an ‘always on’ mode, with a majority of young people reporting that they sleep with their smartphones next to their bed and feel nervous if their phone is losing power. Adults are constantly trying to adapt to parenting in a digital age.An Australian study found that 62% of parents reported that they have arguments with their children about ‘screen time’, whilst parents themselves reportedly spend an average of 3.5 hours per day on their phones. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, everyday activities such as schooling have moved online, further complexifying this relationship. Increased dependency has not only laid bare the inadequacies and failings of digital technologies but has also opened the door for greater control for the big tech companies.

“Young people may be ‘thumb fast’, but that does not make them data-savvy.” — Beeban Kidron, 5 Rights

“When it comes to staying safe online, children and their parents have been left with all of the responsibility, but none of the control.”

Can we blame young people for not being able to put down phones that are intentionally designed to habituate them by some of the wealthiest companies in the world?

The answer here is not to remove technology from children, nor to create walled gardens, but to enhance the agency and control of young users and to empower them and those who support them to affect the tools they use.

Children and young people play, learn and socialise in a ‘datafied’ commercial environment, one where tracking, personalising, profiling, scoring, targeting, and nudging are monetised and surveillance is normalised. Dr. Victoria Nash of The Oxford Internet Institute describes this as a significant shift: from concerns of “children using the internet”, to “the internet using children”. The answer here is not to remove technology from children, nor to create walled gardens, but to enhance the agency and control of young users and to empower them and those who support them to affect the tools they use.