Adolescence

Over the past two to three decades, the internationalcommunity has paid increasing attention to the particularneeds of adolescents. This reflects a keener understandingof participation as a right of all children and especiallyof adolescents. It also underscores a growing acknowledgementthat advances in health and education achievedin early and middle childhood must be consolidated inadolescence so as to effectively address the intergenerationaltransmission of poverty and inequality. In part, thissharper focus has been forced by the global challenges –such as the AIDS pandemic, massive global youth unemploymentand underemployment, demographic shifts andclimate change – that have emerged as major threats tothe present and future for millions of adolescents andyoung people.The world is now waking up to the central importanceof the rights of adolescents – and to humanity’s need toharness the idealism, energy and potential of the emerginggeneration. But even existing international commitmentswill not be met unless there is a much greater concentrationof resources, strategic planning and political willtowards the cause of adolescent rights.Adolescents are as worthy of care and protection as youngchildren, and as worthy of consideration and participationas adults. Now is the moment for the world to recognizeboth what it owes to them and the singular dividendsthat investing in this age of opportunity can generate – forthe adolescents themselves and for the societies in whichthey live.for success in a wired global economy. Without theopportunity to become familiar with electronic media,adolescents may have trouble navigating socialinteractions in online communities or recognizingbiased, unreliable information.The third divide is the lack of knowledge about howyoung people use digital media across societies. Insome countries – such as the United Kingdom, theUnited States and parts of East Asia – both quantitativeand qualitative data exist about the ways in whichyoung people use new technologies, and these datahave begun to reveal how electronic media are changingpractices among youth. Beyond basic informationon access, however, such data are scarce in most partsof the world. One challenge is that youth technologypractices have only recently become subjects of research,especially outside of a few parts of the world.It is clear, however, that engagement with digitaltechnologies is transforming learning, socializingand communication among youth who are able toaccess and use them. For these individuals, activitieslike content generation, remixing, collaboration andsharing are important aspects of daily life. Many ofthese activities are ‘friendship-driven’, serving tomaintain relationships with people already knownoffline. Others are ‘interest-driven’, allowing youthto develop expertise in specialized skill sets such asanimation or blogging. In either context, the casual,frequent use of new media contributes significantlyto the development of both technological and socialskills. Electronic media also provide an opportunityfor intense, self-directed, interest-driven study.The benefits of far-reaching digital technologiesextend beyond learning to promoting creativity,entrepreneurship and activism. Adolescents andyoung people are using these technologies toexpress themselves through videos, audio recordingsand games. They are creating inspiring politicalmovements, watchdog groups and new modes oforganizing that combine the online and the offline.As they become young adults, some of them areinventing new businesses and technologies thatcreate jobs and opportunities. They teach oneanother as they build out into the global cyberenvironment.Our challenge as a global society is to design andbuild online experiences for adolescents that helpthem seize the opportunities – while mitigating thechallenges – of life that are partially mediated bydigital technologies. If the three divides of digitalaccess can be bridged, new interfaces and experienceswill expand adolescents’ minds, connect themto people around the world and enable them toparticipate in the making and sharing of knowledgein the information economy.“ Our challenge asa global society isto design and buildonline experiences foradolescents and youngpeople that help themseize the opportunities– while mitigating thechallenges – of life thatare partially mediatedby digital technologies.”the emerging generation 15