Do half of young people reject the internet?

Hi! Thanks for dropping by. Hope you find this interesting.

Download the PDF with the photo and text at https://www.robhextall.com/photos/do-half-of-young-people-reject-the-internet

Listen to the audio, then chat about the questions.

Have a great day!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Hello and welcome. Today, we're doing a deep dive into something, well, pretty surprising

(00:04):
about young people and the internet. We're going to explore why almost half of them
say they'd rather live in a world without it. It's definitely a striking finding.
So get this, a survey from May 2025 by the British Standards Institution found that 46%
of 16 to 21 year olds in the UK, they'd actually prefer a world where the internet just didn't

(00:27):
exist. That's nearly one in two. What do you think is really underneath that?
Well, I think it's more than just a simple preference. It's really holding up a mirror
to how this always on digital world is clashing with some basic human needs. It points to a
pretty deep disconnect, doesn't it, between young people and digital life. It shows what

(00:48):
they feel is missing or even what's actively hurting them.
Missing or hurting.
Yeah, like a kind of digital burnout, even for a generation that's never known anything else.
That makes sense. So let's dig into those immediate impacts. How does internet use
actually make them feel? What are the sort of emotional takeaways for them?
The survey data is pretty stark on that. A huge number, 70% of under 21s
feel worse about themselves after using social media.

(01:11):
70%, wow.
Yeah. It seems these platforms are almost designed to tap into that need for validation,
you know, and it fuels constant comparison. That comparison thing, it really breeds anxiety and
this feeling of not being good enough.
And it's not just feelings, right? There is something about honesty too.
Exactly. It goes beyond just feeling bad. There's a concerning amount of, let's say,

(01:34):
dishonesty. 42% admitted lying to their parents about what they do online.
Okay.
And another 42% lied about their age, plus 27% pretended to be someone else entirely online.
That's quite a list. So, okay, it's not just the immediate bad vibes,
but you mentioned something deeper, a sense of loss, like missing out on other stuff.
Precisely. It's not just the surface negativity. Many young people seem to be mourning the loss of

(01:57):
what they see as, well, authentic connections. They have this idea that before the internet,
interactions were more genuine, more spontaneous, that building real relationships was somehow
easier without a screen in the middle.
Easier or maybe just different, requiring more effort.
Yeah, that too. They actually talk about missing the practical effort involved in real world stuff,

(02:18):
making friends face-to-face, joining a club, even finding new music wasn't just a click away.
Right. You had to actively seek things out.
And that constant connection, it's wiped out the need to wait for things. There's this
loss of anticipation they mentioned.
The loss of anticipation, like the fun is gone before it starts.
Kind of. It's not just about missing the wait itself. It's like the whole reward pathway in

(02:40):
the brain, the thrill of discovering something is maybe getting eroded. And there's this other
feeling too that life's become too streamlined, predictable, fewer chances for random adventures,
maybe less individuality.
Streamlined. That's an interesting way to put it. So given all this discontent,
are they just venting or are they actually looking for changes? What do they want to see happen?

(03:04):
Oh, they're definitely looking for solutions. It's not just complaining.
The survey showed a real push for change from young people themselves. In fact,
half of them, 50 percent, said they'd support a digital curfew,
like restricting access to certain apps or sites after 10 p.m.
Wow. They want restrictions on themselves.
It seems so. It suggests they're very aware of the downsides and actually want some boundaries,

(03:26):
which leads to questions about parents.
Right. Are parents fully aware of all this?
Well, the sense is there's often an awareness gap. Many parents might not grasp the full
range of risks online. So there are these urgent calls for stronger privacy settings,
better safety features. And these U.K. findings, they really echo global conversations about
digital well-being, don't they? There's a big push internationally for new laws to protect kids

(03:49):
and, frankly, society, often putting those needs ahead of big tech's interests.
So what we've really uncovered here is this deep desire
among young people for a different kind of digital experience,
something maybe more real, less intense.
Exactly.
More authentic, less overwhelming.
Yeah.
And it leaves us all with a big question, doesn't it? As technology keeps racing ahead,

(04:10):
how do we make sure that real human connection, that sense of individuality,
even the simple joy of waiting for something good.
Yeah.
How do we ensure those aren't lost in the flood of constant connectivity?
That's the crucial question. Thank you for joining us for this deep dive into
what young people are really thinking about the Internet.