Empowering Youth: Co-creating a Safer, More Inclusive Internet

The article advocates for a paradigm shift in how we approach young people's internet use, moving beyond simple bans to a collaborative co-creation model. It defines the goal as building an internet *with* young people, rather than just *for* them, enabling them to shape their digital experiences. This approach recognizes that the internet is integral to modern life, offering essential opportunities for learning, connection, and development, and that bans are often ineffective, pushing youth into less supervised, riskier online environments.

A key benefit of co-creation is empowering youth with agency and voice, leading to more relevant and effective safety features. It fosters crucial digital literacy, resilience, and critical thinking skills, preparing them for a digitally-driven future. By involving young people, tech companies can drive innovation for safer, more engaging platforms that genuinely meet their needs. This collaboration also builds trust among youth, parents, educators, and tech providers, ensuring young people can safely harness the internet’s vast potential.

Conversely, the risks of a restrictive, ban-first approach are significant. Such measures often fail, as young people find ways around them, potentially exposing themselves to greater dangers in unsupervised spaces. Banning also excludes youth from vital educational and social opportunities, hindering their development of essential digital skills. The article cites organizations like Save the Children, which emphasize listening to the perspectives of young people themselves. Google exemplifies this commitment through initiatives like “Be Internet Awesome” for digital citizenship, Family Link for parental controls, and by engaging Youth Advisory Boards and partners like UNICEF and DQ Institute to inform the design of products such as YouTube Kids and Google Kids Space, focusing on age-appropriate design rather than merely adapting adult products. This holistic strategy aims to cultivate a supportive and enriching online world for the next generation.

(Source: https://blog.google/technology/families/build-the-internet-young-people-are-asking-for-instead-of-simply-banning-them-from-it/)