Young people have faced “violent indifference” from the political establishment for decades. In an interview with the Guardian, Lisa Nandy said too many of them did not believe politics could be a force for good, so were turning away from mainstream parties including Labour. The youth strategy could “put them back in the driving seat of their own lives”, Nandy added.

The culture secretary, who launched the strategy at an event in Peckham, south London, said youngsters had been shaped by the Covid pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, global uncertainty and an always-on digital world.

“It is a perfect storm that has hit this generation that’s been going on in plain sight for far too long,” she said, warning the online world remained toxic despite child protection measures in the Online Safety Act coming in over the summer. However, she said most young people did not want an Australian-style social media ban.

The Youth Matters plan, backed by £500m, aims to give 500,000 more young people access to a trusted adult outside their home, boost resilience and teach skills including how to stay safe online.