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Detached Youth Work in the Digital Age

21st – 23rd November 2025, Hinsley Hall, Leeds

What do we mean when we speak of the ‘Digital Age’? Young people are often described as ‘digital natives’, as if the digital age is at the core of who they are – central to their identities. Many say they could not live without these technologies (particularly social media), that these tools help them learn, move, socialise and keep in touch with friends. Other voices argue young people need protection from associated harms, such as digitally initiated mental ill health, cyber-bullying, on-line grooming and exploitation. Wider concerns about the impact of the digital world include social isolation and the ‘depopulated street’, the role of ‘influencers’, mis and dis-information, growing intolerance, polarised thinking, discrimination, hate speech and violence. Limiting young people’s access to social media is increasingly advocated to mitigate these social ills, notably in Australia. The use of digital technologies are also advanced as means to achieve ‘positive outcomes’: surveillance, tracking, profiling, AI and algorithms as tools to identify those ‘at risk’ more efficiently and direct resources toward them. But what of privacy, consent, and young peoples’ freedom to move, speak and participate in the digital age?