Of the world’s population, every 1 in 2 people are under the age of 30. Among youth aged between 10 and 24, 9 out of 10 live in the Global South.

Yet, young people's voices are the least represented and heard when their future is decided. Worldwide, only 2.6% of parliamentarians are under 30. Many young people have also noted in workshops conducted by UNICEF that while they are frequently consulted during policy development, they are seldom considered as decision-makers. In one U-Report survey with nearly 80,000 respondents, only 3 out of 10 feel they have much control over their digital future. 

This disconnect is exacerbated by the growing importance of data. Data is a power that drives service delivery, policy formulation, and governance improvements worldwide. Yet, it also poses significant risks. Data can be misused—from enabling discrimination and surveillance to facilitating criminal activities. 

When it comes to data governance, a youth perspective is urgently needed—not only because they are the most active generation online, but also because they are the most affected: Their physical, emotional, social and psychological developmental needs, adds an extra layer of vulnerability. 

On International Youth Day, it is essential to ask: How can data policies better serve and empower young people in shaping their digital futures?  

Global Best Practices 

A number of countries and institutions have already taken the lead in engaging the youth on the issues and concerns that affect their daily lives. 

In Zimbabwe, researchers worked with 475 children between the ages of 12 and 17 to develop the Child Online Protection policy.Their inputs formed the core of the proposal from the initial conception to the final draft. Yet the engagement didn’t stop there. The research team went back to hear their feedback after the draft was validated by the government, making sure the policy reflected their vision for a safe digital future. Similar exercises have  been seen in Zambia and Germany. 

In the United Nations, UNICEF has taken a similar approach. It developed a digital community, U-Report, for young people in nearly 100 countries to raise their voices and express their concerns. The UN Youth Office has launched a number of campaigns, including the latest one, World Leaders: It’s Time to Let #YouthLead, to call for more youth engagement across the world. Multiple country teams have been relentlessly working to enhance youth participation through capacity building to policy advising. 

Big tech companies are also joining this effort. Microsoft has created the Council for Digital Good in the United States and Europe, bringing teenagers together to listen to their expectations and hopes for responsible online interactions. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has also launched a youth advisory network to invite young people to share thoughts on their ideal digital future. 

However, the current efforts are not enough. Much more can be done. 

Driving Engagement Forward 

First, the digital divide still poses a significant challenge to young people that needs to be addressed.  

Disparities between urban and rural areas, as well as wealthy and poor households, widely persist in all countries.  Several studies have found that data literacy is relatively low in the Global South; the gaps between middle-income and high-income countries are also considerable. 

Meanwhile, although gender differences in understanding data have narrowed among younger generations, the lack of comprehensive, disaggregated data specifically on girls obstructs targeted interventions and perpetuates inequalities. For example, without specific data on girls' school attendance and dropout rates, it would be difficult for policymakers to effectively address the barriers they face, such as early marriage, household responsibilities, or a lack of sanitary facilities.

As advocated by the people-centric principle of RD4C, it is essential that both public and private sectors bear these divisions in mind and work together to bridge them, prioritising the best interest of the child over their potential efficiency gains or other process-oriented objectives. 

Second, when it comes to data governance, youth should be involved in the entire cycle of policymaking. 

The development of a policy involves multiple steps. From issue identification and research to consultation and formulation, each process requires the participation of youth. The monitoring and evaluation phase is no exception. 

Research has suggested that if young people consider their participation as unsatisfactory, unequal, or superficial, they may feel "used" or regard the involvement as "tokenistic".  

Today, the common practice of youth engagement favors consulting with young people rather than involving them in decision-making. There is also a lack of mechanisms for monitoring youth feedback. A comprehensively participatory approach allows the young generation to meaningfully participate in the entire process of making data policies. This ensures their opinions are fully considered and respected throughout the data lifecycle.  

Third, understand the youth to leverage their wisdom. 

To promote effective youth engagement, it is essential to gain a thorough understanding of their behaviors and preferences. By leveraging these insights, we can craft innovative platforms tailored to their needs and interests. 

According to a policy brief published by UN DESA, young people prefer instant feedback and are highly sensitive to reward; they have strong attachments to their identities yet can be influenced by peers easily. Therefore, in addition to traditional engagement methods like discussion roundtables and youth-led research, more creative approaches can be adopted.  

Some of the most interesting examples include the UN Big Data Hackathon, which has separate youth tracks. Such events not only help young people to better understand the data around them, but also teach them how to fully use it to make their future brighter. 

Another example comes from Manchester, a city in the northwest of England. The city developed the Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority, an organization consisting entirely of young people. They are responsible for advising on and scrutinising the work of the mayor on key issues of concern to the young generation. Under this mechanism, the youth can see how their fellows’ inputs have a direct impact on policies that affect them. This special arrangement  empowers the youth to inspire the youth.  

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Growing up in a digital age, many young people have never seen a world without the internet. While some might know how to use the internet to entertain themselves and make life easier, they remain vulnerable in an ecosystem flooded with data. 

Given that young people initially lack agency in handling data and asserting their rights, it becomes all too easy for adults to step in and make decisions on their behalf. However, a more constructive approach is to nurture their agency, rather than simply taking over the power. 

Nearly all countries of the world have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a universal treaty that also applies to data responsibility. According to Article 17, when developing legislation, policies, programmes, services and training on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment, States parties should involve all children, listen to their needs and give due weight to their views. This should not be overlooked, nor forgotten. 

To hear the voice of youth, RD4C cooperates with Generation Unlimited to hold a virtual discussion panel in August, featuring young leaders from around the world. Through this event, we aim to provide a platform where they can share their perspectives, experiences, and insights on data responsibility and data governance. By empowering young people and amplifying their voices, we believe they can lead the way as change-makers in our constantly evolving digital world.

Youth is the future. Let’s not let the future down. 

Image by John Schnobrich / Unsplash is licensed under CC0

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