The Digital Youth Index - Understand the Impact of Technology on Young People

The Nominet Digital Youth Index is a free-to-use national, annual benchmarking and barometer report identifying and monitoring the key drivers, issues and opportunities in young people’s relationship with digital technology across the UK.

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The Nominet Digital Youth Index is a benchmarking report offering insight into young people’s digital experiences. What are the challenges and barriers they face? What do they love – and what do they worry about? Importantly, how can we help them harness the positive power that the digital world promises?

It’s the brainchild of Nominet’s Social Impact Programme and we’ll be gathering this data every year. It helps us – and you – to understand the digital lives of the young and identify the areas where we need to help them thrive.

The data is available for use and you can read the full report with our insight and analysis from the research via the link below.

Read the Nominet Digital Youth Index report 2021

Featured Story

Understanding Digital Families

An exploration of how the shift to digital is compounding long-standing inequalities for many families and creating new challenges for all. Cliff Manning, from ParentZone, discusses the interplay between the factors impacting digital inequality and the complexity in understanding families’ relationship with technology.

One of the early promises of the web was that it would democratise knowledge and break open opportunities. Whether you were in Mumbai or Manchester and whatever your background you would have access to the same resources, be able to make the same connections and follow your own path. However, with 1 in 5 young people not having suitable access or devices for learning, that promise is not being kept.

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2.1 million young adults are at risk of becoming digital castaways

2.9 million young people (21%) do not have access to either a laptop or desktop and a third (32%) of young people do not have access to home broadband. Combined, this leaves 6 million (42%) young people without home broadband or a laptop/desktop. While many of these will be younger people, it equates to 30% of those aged 18 and above who are more likely to be living alone and relying on work, colleges or universities for their IT needs, equivalent to 2.1 million young people.

Most young people (94%) feel safe online, but parents and professionals are less convinced

Most young people (94%) feel safe online but 83% of young people aged 11 or above have experienced something that they found upsetting, including fake news, hate speech, sexual content and contact with strangers. When asked about online safety in the qualitative research, young people predominantly thought first about data protection and keeping their personal details safe. Among the 6% who did not feel safe, the most common reason for feeling unsafe was concern around theft of personal information or identity theft.

Nearly half of young people feel isolated

Digital access creates opportunities for connection but, at the same time, can exacerbate feelings of isolation. 55% of young people say they have been spending more time online due to the pandemic (equivalent of 8 million young people). 17 – 19-year-olds were especially likely to have spent more time online due to Covid-19. 68% of this age group said they spent more time online while half (49%) said they felt isolated from others, and 59% worried about others having fun without them.

key insights

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Digital access and inclusion

17 March 2022

Data Poverty and the effects of being ‘data hungry’

An analysis of ‘data poverty’ and what is deemed as essential. Dr. Emma Stone from Good Things Foundation explores how data poverty is shaped and the knock-on effects.

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Internet safety and countering harms

Image of interviewees, mum Sarah and 13 year old Grace

5 January 2022

Interview: Grace, 13, discusses internet safety with mum Sarah

Hear from Grace, 13, as she discusses internet safety, exploring social media and the impact of online learning on her and her classmates alongside mum Sarah.

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