Young people led this.

More than 20 #iWill Ambassadors volunteered to lead the hack events at the heart of this programme, designing activities, facilitating conversations and creating spaces where their peers could speak honestly about their lives online. At the centre of that group were our Youth Collaborators: a dedicated cohort of young people recruited from our Ambassador network who shaped this work from the inside, contributing to the design, delivery and interpretation of findings from the very beginning. Their involvement ensured that this was not consultation done to young people, but genuinely with them.

The hack process itself was something special. Across seven cities, young people worked together in facilitated groups to move beyond opinion and into ideas, building thoughtful, considered proposals for what a better online world could look like. The quality of thinking that emerged was remarkable: nuanced, evidence-aware and grounded in lived experience. These were not simple answers to simple questions. They were the kind of insights that only come when young people are genuinely given the space and the trust to think things through together.

The places that made it possible.

This work was embedded in communities and sustained by the organisations already working alongside young people every day- many of them partners in our #iWill Towns and Cities of Social Action. We want to thank each of them:

• Brighton & Hove: Trust for Developing Communities led the event, with ThirdSpace Theatre and Brighton Youth Council bringing young people into the room
• Newcastle: The Key led the event, with Mortal Fools supporting young people’s involvement
• Ipswich: Hosted by Ipswich Borough Council, facilitated and led by Volunteering Matters, young people and expertise from Northgate Sixth Form
• Gloucester: Venture Community Hub led the event — with a special mention to MP Alex McIntyre, who came along and got involved
• Belfast: Volunteer Now led the event, and we were honoured to welcome the Minister for AI and Online Safety Kanishka Narayan MP, who met young people directly and heard their views first-hand
• Caerphilly: Bedwas School opened its doors and its community
• Edinburgh: Volunteering Matters and YouthVIP brought the programme to Scotland

The work didn’t end when the events did – these organisations continue to work with us to ensure young people are supported to shape and lead change in their communities.

The power of place.

Brighton & Hove, Newcastle, Ipswich and Gloucester are not just four cities where we ran events. They are #iWill Towns and Cities of Social Action – places where, over the past year and more, we have been working alongside communities, organisations and young people to build local movements.

Towns and Cities of Social Action is our approach to embedding youth leadership into the DNA of a place. Not parachuting in with a project and leaving, but working with the networks, institutions and community infrastructure that already exist – and showing what becomes possible when they are activated around young people’s priorities.

This consultation demonstrated exactly that. The depth of engagement we achieved in these four places was not accidental. It was the result of relationships built over time, trust earned through regular presence, and communities that are genuinely committed to making young people seen and heard.

What young people told us.

The report’s findings are clear, and we think it’s important to reflect them honestly.

As the report states, the qualitative evidence from the deliberative events shows “consistent opposition to an outright ban among [children and young people], while emphasising that this rejection does not mean acceptance of the status quo.” Young people across all seven locations were not defending the internet as it is. They were calling for something better.

Across the hacks, young people described social media not as something they chose, but as the environment they have grown up in – one shaped by algorithmic design, profit motives and a profound lack of meaningful control. They asked for smarter platform design, better education, tougher moderation and more targeted restrictions. 

The report also reflects an important distinction between young people and parents: “parents show strong support for a minimum age of 16 while [children and young people] are far more divided, with a full ban remaining a minority view among them.” We believe both perspectives deserve to be heard. And we believe that legislation shaping young people’s lives must continue to reflect the full breadth of that evidence – including what young people themselves said.

What comes next.

The government’s decision has been made, and this legislation is still being developed. We are committed to continuing to work with government, with Savanta and with our partners to ensure that young people remain active participants in shaping how that legislation takes form, not just as its subject – but as its architects.

Amanda Naylor, Chief Executive Officer of Volunteering Matters said:

“This report demonstrates what becomes possible when we trust young people as partners in shaping the decisions that affect their lives. The passion, honesty, curiosity and maturity shown by everyone who took part in the Hack events has been extraordinary. They didn’t arrive with simple answers. They challenged one another, weighed evidence, explored difficult trade-offs and produced thoughtful recommendations on one of the defining issues of their generation. Every young person involved should be incredibly proud of the contribution they have made.

“Listening does not always mean agreeing. Government has a responsibility to balance evidence, consider competing perspectives and make decisions in the public interest. But those decisions will always be stronger when they are shaped by the lived experience of the people most affected.

“Too often, young people are treated as recipients of policy rather than partners in creating it. We believe they hold many of the answers to the challenges they face because they live those realities every day. Their experience is not an optional extra to policymaking; it is essential evidence.

“Volunteering Matters will continue to champion meaningful youth participation and work with Government to create more opportunities for young people to sit around the policymaking table. As decisions are made about online safety, we will continue to advocate for approaches that put young people’s safety first while also protecting the opportunities, relationships, learning, participation and sense of belonging that digital life can offer.  

“Young people should never be asked to choose between being safe and being heard. We can, and must, achieve both.”

To every young person who came to a hack event, filled in a survey, or shared something they didn’t have to share: thank you. What you said matters, and we will keep making sure it is heard.

The #iWill Movement is powered by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth.