our teenagers are in the midst of a mental health crisis
Rates of mental health disorders amongst teenagers are at their highest levels since records began.
THIS IS A GENERATION THAT’S CHRONICALLY UNHAPPY & SOCIALLY ANXIOUS
Young people report the lowest level of happiness and confidence in relationships with friends since records began.
smartphones & social media are a massive part of the problem
Rates of self-harm, depression & anxiety have more than doubled since widespread smartphone uptake thanks to the impact of social media platforms which are designed for addiction, damaging for self-esteem, and profiting from pulling teenagers away from face-to-face socialising.
>> Trends in psychiatric disorders & self-harm among UK adolescents, Cybulski, 2021.
teenagers desperately need to MOVE FROM socialisING ONLINE TO SOCIALISING in real life
Online socialising has displaced in-person socialising, depriving teenagers of the kinds of embodied and synchronous social experiences they need to be happy and develop into socially functioning adults.
>> The Anxious Generation and the need to move from phone-based to play-based childhood, Jonathan Haidt
BUT THEY have nowhere safe and inspiring to hang out face-to-face with friends
A 70% reduction in government funding for youth services in the past decade has led to the closure of 760 youth centres and 400 leisure centres. Combined with the decimation of the high street, it means our teenagers now have nowhere safe and inspiring to go. They’re left with few options beyond wandering the streets, sitting in the dark in a local park or nursing a shake in McDonald’s. Spaces where they feel vulnerable and unwelcome. There is no compelling alternative to the warmth, comfort and perceived safety of socialising online in their bedrooms.
THE WORLD IS WAKING UP TO THE URGENT NEED FOR IRL SPACES FOR TEENAGERS
The time is now. We need to make a change before it’s too late. But unless parents come together to make their voices heard, nothing will change, leaving a generation of teenagers chronically unhappy, habitually lonely, and entirely ill-equipped to create a thriving future adult society.
JOIN the #IRLrevolution
We’re on a mission to give teenagers a compelling IRL alternative to their screens and a desperately needed space to hang out face-to-face with friends. We’re lobbying local councils, businesses, landlords and developers to repurpose vacant commercial space as venues for teenagers to socialise IRL.
But we need parents to make their voices heard, demonstrate they’re desperate for change, and determined to MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
The more parents who join the # IRL REVOLUTION, the more we can achieve together.
Sign up to be part of the movement and join the fight to give every UK teenager an inspiring space to socialise in real life.