New book explores how the COVID-19 pandemic is damaging young people’s prospects

‘Youth Prospects in the Digital Society’, written with Professor Emeritus Walter Heinz (University of Bremen), examines young people’s experience of education, employment, and political participation in England and Germany. In particular, it looks at the impact of digitalisation in the context of rising inequality and explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on family life, work and education.

The book also looks at the impact of the UK leaving the EU, youth political participation, and how teenagers navigate the transition to adulthood.

The authors note that the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on family life and living standards have been unevenly distributed and exacerbate existing social inequalities. For example, working from home and undertaking schoolwork from home both require suitable equipment such as computers which are not always available for families of lower socioeconomic status. They also draw on evidence highlighting that young people are likely to have higher unemployment rates and a reduction in earnings compared to other generations as a result of the pandemic coupled with digitalisation.

Young people below the age of 16 are less at risk of viral infection than older age groups, however, they are all increasingly open to the risk of mental health problems such as depression, stemming from social isolation in the period of lockdown and its aftermath.

Another issue the book addresses is the management of information and social media, including ‘fake news’ and how it is shared.

Professors Bynner and Heinz write: “Pressure will be felt particularly by those growing up in families beset by deprivation, with effects on health as well as lack of opportunity to complete education or to find and engage effectively with work. For many, their disadvantage extends to a poor educational record and lack of what is now increasingly seen in every middle-class household as standard equipment – computer, smartphone and tablet with a variety of apps installed; for disadvantaged young people the ability to function effectively in the digital society is still a long way off.”

They conclude that young adults’ life plans are becoming uncertain, which may foreshadow life course discontinuity. The longer this situation lasts the greater the need will be for policy intervention to prevent an unrecoverable breakdown of transitions. In addition to this, the capability acquired through education and the digital society should be continually directed at improving the quality of life for every citizen.

Youth Prospects in the Digital Society: Identities and Inequalities in an Unravelling Europe was published by Bristol University Press on 26 March 2021.

Links

• Youth Prospects in the Digital Society: Identities and Inequalities in an Unravelling Europe
• UCL Social Research Institute
• COVID-19 research at UCL Institute of Education

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Brian Asare via Unsplash