Blog: Digital support strengthens the well-being of young people
The impact of digitalisation on society affects all age groups. With digital support, the aim is to strengthen everyone's digital skills sufficient for the everyday life of the individual so that it is possible to stay involved in society, take care of things and use electronic services. Digital support can strengthen inclusion, equality and non-discrimination, this is important for all age groups. However, when talking about young people's digital skills, the concept of a digital native quickly emerges. The term was coined by American author Mark Prensky in 2001. He described a new generation of people who haven't experienced the time before the internet and mobile devices. However, Prensky did not intend to describe how well young people who grew up in the digital age use electronic services. (Vallinkoski, 2017.) In everyday speech, however, the concept of "digital native" has gradually become more common and its meaning has changed. We are easily mistaken to think that young people who have grown up in the age of digitalisation use all electronic services fluently and in a sovereign manner. Diginative has thus become a concept synonymous with a young person who masters everything related to digital. However, this is a kind of illusion that needs to be slightly shaken up - especially when it makes us think that young people do not need digital support. Although variations in digital skills between individuals also occur in the age group of young people, there is a clear need for digitalization among young people. According to the national digital skills survey, young people need support especially when dealing with e-government services. The latest Youth Barometer supports this research result: According to the barometer, about 12 % young people find e-services challenging to find and 10 % They felt that services were not available when they were most needed. In addition, it should be noted that the reason for the lack of use of services may also be in economic structures and socio-economic status, for example young people from low-income families may not be able to afford to buy and maintain the necessary equipment and therefore use the necessary services. Young people want accessibility, clarity and guidance in digital services - who would guide them? For digital support developers, young people's views are valuable information. Our mission is to provide young people with accessible, low-threshold digital support and up-to-date and reliable information. In the development of digital support, young people's needs have been heard and they want to be reached by digital support. Cooperation between different actors ensures the availability of digital support for every young person. One current example…
