Essential Digital Support
The challenge
We set out to understand how young people access services online which support their essential needs: health, learning and work, money, housing, safety and rights.
Rather than looking for advice, information and support through a search engine, young people increasingly find information through social media. Their experiences online vary enormously: many report seeing worrying content, and some experience bullying and harassment. But many also report that being online brings them closer to friends, and gives them access to information and help when they need it.
What we learned
Through reviewing the websites and apps of a range of youth-focused organisations, and interviewing staff involved in digital strategy and delivery, we built up a picture of how essential services are delivered online.
Everyone we spoke to had some kind of digital provision, and the pandemic had sped up the transition to digital provision for many organisations.
The big challenge we identified through the research is the complexity of the service landscape which young people have to navigate. Organisations also face challenges with funding, building young people’s voices into their work, and building and maintaining good digital infrastructure.
Our model for change
We propose a shift away from the traditional model of digital services towards a more holistic and relational model of digital support; more flexible and personalised, with young people at the heart.
Essential digital support seeks to:
■ understand the young person’s reality and adapt to reflect it
■ wrap around the young person, joining up and smoothing over the gaps
■ find the young person where they are
■ respect young people’s autonomy, privacy and agency.
Read all about the research, our detailed findings, the proposals for essential digital support, and our recommendations for change in our report Meeting young people where they are.
