Young People

Are young people under too much pressure?

Young people are growing up with pressures coming from several directions at once. Social media, education, employment, money, relationships, safety and expectations about who they should become can all overlap.

That does not mean every young person is struggling. In fact, Ofcom found that 91% of 8–17-year-olds said they were happy with the things they do online, and many use the internet to maintain friendships, relax and learn. But the same digital world can also bring constant comparison, exposure to harmful content and pressure to always be connected.

Boys, girls — different pressures?

The pressures are not always the same.

Girls may face appearance pressures, sexualisation, harassment and concerns about safety. Boys can face expectations around toughness, status, money and masculinity — while also hearing increasingly strong public conversations about male violence and behaviour.

Those conversations matter, but young people also need space to ask questions without feeling automatically judged.

OUR ANSWER

Young people do need boundaries, responsibility and resilience. But they also need adults to recognise the environment they are growing up in.

Prevention should not only ask:

What are young people doing wrong?

It should also ask:

What are they dealing with — and are we giving them the tools to handle it?

The figures

2 hrs 59 mins

Average daily online time recorded among UK internet users aged 8–14 across smartphones, tablets and computers.

91%

of 8–17-year-olds said they were happy with the things they do online.

69%

of 13–17-year-olds said they use the internet to support their wellbeing.

16–24

ONS says outcomes for this age group remain mixed, including an increase over five years in the proportion not in education, employment or training.