Children and young people need safe offline spaces to thrive 

Youth work provides environments where young people develop the confidence, leadership, and life skills that make them resilient to online harms

The link between online activity and physical and mental health harms — including anxiety, sleep deprivation, eating disorders, self-harm and suicide ideation — is undeniable.

As chair of Ireland's Online Health Taskforce, which has submitted its final report to the minister for health for consideration, I've spent the past year investigating evidence that should alarm every parent. 

Children are being exposed to cyberbullying, violence, pornography, harmful algorithms, and manipulative marketing designed to exploit their developing minds. 

The link between online activity and physical and mental health harms — including anxiety, sleep deprivation, eating disorders, self-harm and suicide ideation — is undeniable.

But here's what a year of research and expert consultations has taught me: we cannot regulate our way out of this crisis through digital solutions alone. The answer lies partly in recognising what youth work has always provided — environments where young people develop the confidence, leadership, and life skills that make them resilient to online harms.

Recent research commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland confirms this insight. While 89% of Irish adults believe investing in offline spaces is essential for supporting young people's mental health, only one in four adults is aware of safe, supportive spaces in their local community. This represents a massive untapped resource for addressing the digital crisis affecting our children.

As a volunteer leader with the Irish Girl Guides, I witness firsthand how youth work transforms lives. When young people develop skills, lead projects, or tackle community challenges, they're developing agency — the capacity to actively shape their environment rather than being passive consumers. 

This translates directly to digital engagement. Young people with strong offline identities and support networks are better equipped to recognise manipulation, resist harmful content, and seek help when needed.

This summer, I led the senior branch subcamp at Orbit International Camp, the Irish Girl Guides' flagship event, with over 200 young women aged 14 to 17 in our subcamp and 1,500 participants overall. 

Watching these young people develop agency was remarkable. As one participant reflected: "A place where we are free to be ourselves, make new friends and have new experiences without the pressure of everyday life." 

One parent captured the transformation: "My daughter came back from Orbit enlivened, energised, invigorated and happy."

The evidence supports this connection between offline development and digital resilience. Irish children aged 10-17 report declining happiness — from 89.7% in 2018 to just 78.5% in 2022. Children with disabilities report the lowest levels at 71.7%, followed by immigrant children at 77.3%. Yet youth organisations consistently punch above their weight in supporting exactly these vulnerable groups.

The NYCI research shows parents rank as the most effective offline support for young people experiencing negative online experiences (59%), followed by friends and peers (47%). Youth workers rank at 21% — but this reflects funding and awareness gaps, not effectiveness. 

Research consistently shows youth work creates measurable improvements in confidence, social skills, and mental health outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged young people.

Youth work excels at creating inclusive environments where difference is celebrated and young people learn to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Through programmes emphasising peer support, skill development, and community engagement, youth work builds exactly the resilience factors that protect against online harms.

The online harms our taskforce has documented are sophisticated and predatory. Algorithmic systems designed to maximise engagement regardless of harm, marketing of unhealthy products targeted at vulnerable children, AI-generated content bypassing safety measures — these require urgent regulatory intervention. 

Jillian van Turnhout: 'When young people engage in meaningful offline activities, developing real-world competencies and trusted relationships, they're less vulnerable to the artificial rewards that make digital platforms addictive.'

But even effective regulation takes time to implement. Young people experiencing harm today need immediate access to environments that build their capacity to resist, report, and recover from digital manipulation.

Youth work provides this through positive development — rather than simply warning about risks, it equips young people with skills, relationships, and purpose that make risky behaviours less appealing. 

When young people engage in meaningful offline activities, developing real-world competencies and trusted relationships, they're less vulnerable to the artificial rewards that make digital platforms addictive.

The NYCI research reveals concerning gaps in protective infrastructure. Only one in four adults nationwide is aware of safe, supportive spaces for young people in their community. Regardless of location, young people across Ireland face barriers to accessing opportunities that could provide meaningful offline engagement and support for navigating online challenges.

Yet the research reveals tremendous public support for investment. Some 90% of adults believe young people should be involved in designing and running youth spaces. Similarly, 64% believe awareness campaigns about internet safety "just aren't effective" — suggesting appetite for the comprehensive, relationship-based approaches that youth work provides.

Youth organisations are already providing sophisticated responses to digital challenges. When young people work together on projects, they learn collaboration and civic engagement. When they take leadership roles, they develop confidence and communication skills. When they face outdoor challenges, they build resilience and problem-solving abilities. These aren't separate from digital citizenship — they're foundational to it.

The decline in reported happiness among Irish children should be treated as the public health emergency it represents. 

Youth work doesn't just provide alternatives to screen time — it builds the psychological, social, and civic foundations that enable young people to use technology as a tool for positive impact rather than falling victim to its harmful applications.

I am not asking Ireland to choose between online safety and offline investment. We must address both the sophisticated harms faced online and the declining opportunities young people have to develop strength, skills, and community connections offline. 

This requires increased investment in youth work — supporting volunteers through enhanced training and resources, providing a choice of youth organisations at local level to match the diversity of interests of children and young people, and recognising youth work as essential infrastructure for child and youth development in the digital age.

The crisis facing our children and young people demands bold action. The solution is in our hands.

• Jillian van Turnhout is chair of Ireland's Online Health Taskforce and a volunteer leader with the Irish Girl Guides. She is supporting the National Youth Council of Ireland’s call on Government to allocate greater investment for youth clubs, groups and services to ensure all young people across Ireland have access to safe, supportive spaces offline.