Really interesting report on NEETs. What do you think happens next?

[SomedayIllBeSaturdayNight]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/23/uk-young-people-workplace-anxiety-alan-milburn

Such an interesting report by Alan Millburn in why the UK has so many young NEETs.

' “[Young people] are different, not worse, not lazier, not less intelligent. They have grown up in a digital world that has rewired how they communicate, form relationships and manage stress. They have fewer experiences of workplaces and they present with higher levels of anxiety and depression.”

Does this ring true to you? And what are the next few years going to look like?

I personally can't see any reason for the government not to ban social media for under 16s in this context.

@Dr0pkick I know that these are not the correct clinical terms but we are on MN. When I said borderline autism, I meant people who are only just getting a diganosis-who are at the borderline for diganosis. By classic autism, I meant that some people have more of the symptoms of autism. Some people have more severe symptoms than others.
The percentage of the NEET population that have autism has doubled in 5 years.

Some of it rings true for me, but not the "caused by tech" bits. My kids are a bit more anxious and they have no experience of work, but it's not down to social media. They have no experience of work because hardly anyone is hiring teens. My DD1 applied for 50 jobs as a 16 year old. She got three interviews but not hired. I walked into and out of jobs at that age.

Both DC seem to be more nervous about doing pretty basic things because they haven't had the freedom to explore as younger kids the way generations did before them. Safeguarding has kept some kids from harm, but I see it as a major cause of increased anxiety. I agree the high stakes schooling culture doesn't help.

And, of course, we also have changing factors around reproduction that mean there are significantly more children born with increased risk for mental health issues.

It doesn’t work like that. You either have autism or you don’t and the bar is high.

You know what else has negative outcomes and makes children less capable? Struggling with certain things and not knowing why. Being called shy and quiet , when you’re anything but. Being ignored and dismissed, even when in pain. Being unable to ask for help. Having your meals swapped because you are the shy and quiet kid and they know you won’t make a fuss. Being made fun of. Being called weird. Being unable to recognise social cues and healthy friendships/relationships.Hiding your interests so you don’t get laughed at.Being terrified of getting in trouble. Being terrified of giving the wrong answer. Masking , for every single second of those very long 6/7/8 hours. Trying to fit in , but not quite there yet. And not knowing why.

For far too long women and girls were let down massively in the autism diagnosis process. We are better informed now so numbers absolutely should go up considering females form half the population. As it is in this country autism and adhd are under diagnosed.

@Dr0pkick
Please look at ICD-11 criteria for autism. There are different levels.
@ChalkOutlines I am not saying that autism diagnosis is bad. IMO it is very important for those with severe symptoms of autism. My question is whether it is good for those with fewer symptoms IF it makes them feel less capable. My other question is whether there is some misdiagnosis-is trauma now being diagnosed as autism? In the past, it was easier to diagnose someone with schizophrenia but psychiatrists etc later agreed that there needed to be more clear cut symptoms. Diagnoses change over time based on what a group of psychiatrists, psychologists etc. decide collaboratively. Autism diagnoses may change in the future. Especially as many psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and doctors are debating the current levels of diagnosis.

The ICD does not use levels. The DSM does, but that is less commonly used in the UK and level 1 doesn’t mean borderline autistic.

I know a lot of people think investing in able body and mind young adults is unfair and that all the investment should be in SEND and just SEND

Your hyperbole doesn’t help anyone. Absolutely no-one has said that.

It isn’t about wants or parents wanting impossible things.

The ICD-11 does not use a level severity scale. That specific grading system comes from the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5 and it refers to support needs which can vary throughout life- not autism levels. It is impossible to level autism. To get a diagnosis you need to have difficulties which impact life significantly in all 3 specific areas.

People with autism are more likely to experience trauma because of the nature of their autism and they are more likely to be misdiagnosed with BPD which is heavily linked to childhood trauma when they are in fact autistic as opposed to being misdiagnosed with autism.

Please do educate yourself instead of spreading misinformation.

@Dr0pkick @scoopofmintchocchipicecream
You are correct that it is DSM 5 not ICD 11 that discusses levels of autism-my mistake. However, it is plainly obvious that some people have more severe autism than others. Some people have more symptoms than others.
There is also a question whether about whether ICD 11 diagnosis is as good as DSM 5 anyway.

See this article published in Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-02354-y
It suggests that ICD 11 "contains many vague and subjective concepts" and can lead to "a large danger of false positive diagnoses". It argues for a "more objective measurement of symptoms".

I can see that the research says that people with autism are more likely to suffer trauma.
I can also see research that says there can be an overlap between autistics symptoms and trauma, which can make it difficult to distinguish.
This article on PTSD discusses how people with PTSD may be misdiagnosed as having autism.
https://www.ptsduk.org/can-childhood-ptsd-be-mistaken-for-autism/

Define severe! You can’t. What do you mean by “more symptoms?”

The opposite is happening. It’s widely known that too many autistic people( often women and girls) are being wrongly misdiagnosed with BPD/EUPD.

An article on PTSD is not an autism diagnosis manual. Diagnosticians do a thorough developmental history. In the case of my children who have both it’s very clear that their autism was from birth and the trauma came after- as a result of their autism.

The figures re bullying and being the victims of crime for vulnerable autistic children and young people are horrific. There is a dreadful fall out from that- PTSD/CPTSD, other severe mental health difficulties, fear of school, damage to education, suicidal idealisation, unemployment…. Stands to reason why autistic children who are autistic from birth go on to experience trauma

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjpx7rnredo

@Dr0pkick
Here is the list of ICD-11 symptoms for autism
https://compasspsy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ICD-11-Summary-with-columns-01.12.25.pdf
Some people will clearly have more symptoms than others
A further question is how many symptoms might an ordinary person have.
In section 1, I would say many people can have problems with sustaining social conversations. many people can have miss non-verbal cues or jokes or sarcasm.
In section 2, many people can find new situations distressing, many people like to stick to the rules e.g. during games, many people have hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity.
A diagnosis can be made if you have just one symptom from section 1 and one symptom from section 2, with an onset of any time in life.
The autism science foundation is saying this is vague and leading to confusion.
https://autismsciencefoundation.org/resources/podcast-are-new-icd-11-criteria-for-an-autism-diagnosis-too-vague/

An American organisation preferring the use of the DSM over the ICD is hardly surprising. That doesn’t mean they DSM is ‘better’. Both have faced criticism. For every link you want to post about criticism of the ICD-11, you can also find one criticising the DSM-V.

In order for ASD to be diagnosed, the onset has to occur during the developmental period, typically in early childhood. Assessments consider alternatives that explain the presentation. If another diagnosis better explains the difficulties, autism isn’t diagnosed.

Many autistic individuals experience trauma. Some are diagnosed with PTSD/cPTSD. That doesn’t mean they aren’t autistic.

Some have more complex needs than others and some need far more support and care throughout life, but that isn’t the same as saying someone with level 1 autism is borderline autistic.

Your first link is a tick sheet from a private company. Autism diagnosis involves far more than just a tick sheet.

You also seemed to overlook the distinction between normal and not within said tick sheet.

“Persistent deficits in initiating & sustaining social communication & reciprocal social interactions that are outside the expected range of typical functioning given the individual’s age & level of intellectual development.Persistent restricted, repetitive & inflexible patterns of behaviour, interests,or activities that are clearly atypical or excessive for the individual’s age & sociocultural
context. “

Although ICD-11(published by the World Health Organization) is the official clinical assessment manual used by the NHS across the UK and globally the DSM 5 published by the American Psychiatric Association) is actually also widely utilised by healthcare professionals and is often referenced in the UK for consistency.

They’ll aren’t the only tools used. The materials and methods used in a comprehensive autism assessment fall into several key categories:

1.Gold Standard Diagnostic Tools
Specialists use standardized, highly structured observational and interview tools to ensure accuracy. The most common are:
ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule): A semi-structured, play-based assessment where a clinician interacts directly with the individual. It uses specific tasks and materials to observe social communication, behavior, and play.
ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised): A structured interview conducted with parents or caregivers. It covers the individual’s developmental history, communication skills, and repetitive behaviors.
DISCO (Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders): A flexible interview often used in the UK that helps clinicians gather detailed information about developmental history and current behavior.
2.Questionnaires and Rating Scales
Clinicians often ask individuals (for adult assessments), parents, or teachers to fill out behavior rating scales to capture how traits manifest across different environments:
Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS): A 15-item evaluation tool used for children over the age of two.
M-CHAT-R/F (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers): A screening questionnaire used in early identification to determine if toddlers require a full clinical evaluation.
AQ (Autism-Spectrum Quotient): A questionnaire frequently used in adult assessments to evaluate autistic traits.
3.Developmental and Adaptive Behavior Assessments
Because autism is a developmental condition, specialists often need to understand an individual's cognitive and practical day-to-day abilities:
Cognitive / IQ Testing: Materials like puzzle blocks, drawing, and picture-matching. These are used to gauge intellectual and learning development (e.g., Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV) or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V)).
Adaptive Behavior Scales: Tests like the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) or ABAS evaluate daily living skills, like communication, practical care, and socialization.
4.Other Evaluations
To rule out co-occurring conditions or physical explanations for developmental delays, the multidisciplinary team may utilize:
Speech and Language Assessments: To pinpoint specific communication disorders.
Medical and Genetic Testing: Physical exams or microarray analysis to rule out genetic conditions.

Very true. Everything is now labelled a mental health issue. Hell, just being human and living life, having to manage ordinary every day challenges and feelings is treated as a mental health issue.

Children and teenagers are being absolutely micromanaged by their parents. Everything is done for them. Listening to your dc and having good communication is great but interrogating them about their day at school and activities and complain to school or club because little Penelope had a minor frustrating experience is controlling and unhelpful.

For any minor issue, falling out with friends, not being invited to a party, whatever, dc are referred straight to the school support worker for mental health help.

This starts in primary school, where if an 8 year old has friendship problems they are sent off to the school wellbeing worker to watch YouTube videos on self esteem and do some lame crafts. I don’t want some barely trained support worker putting fleas in my DC’s ear, that they are hard done by and struggling when they are only starting to find their strength. As soon as you teach children to see themselves as victims, it’s game over. They lose their agency. Solving all friendship issues for them is entirely unhelpful, let them sort it.

Dc need to learn to solve problems, tell unkind kids I’m not playing with you, or find other friends. Accept they won't be invited to everything.

Children are treated as if they are the centre of the universe and the world revolves around them. I’ve seen this play out so many times, when poor little darling doesn’t get their own way, suddenly it’s a mental health emergency. And this is for totally ordinary, non SEN DCs. Normal life and childhood are being pathologised by parents and teachers, they are being mollycoddled.

Some children need professional counselling or psychiatric support but the majority need less snowplough parenting and more freedom to do stuff, develop their independence, work through their issues, get their parents off their backs.

If that’s the case why were the 923k NEETS in the 90s?

It is the case that dc are mollycoddled these days, told they are the super stars, the world revolves around them and their needs and are offered mental health support merely for dealing with normal every day kids' frustrations. They were also mollycoddled in the 90s compared to previous generations, now even more so. It's been a downward slope in terms of building independence and resilience. This type of mental health interventions by staff without comprehensive education and training in the field is pushed on kids by state school, sadly promoting further a sense of powerlessness.

If that’s the case why were the 923k NEETS in the 90s?

You tell me. I made a point in regards to resilience. What's your point?

My point is that has been an issue for years , more than 40 in fact, and the reason for it is shit , ill thought out, short term, kick the can down the road policies , not mollycoddled kids.

@Dr0pkick So I think we have established that there are different severities of autism. Especially as @scoopofmintchocchipicecream admits there are those with autism who have more complex needs. This is frankly obvious if you have contact with people with autism.
My question was originally whether diagnosing those with fewer symptoms of autism is helpful or not. I think it isn't helpful if they then think they are less capable of work, training or education. I think higher levels of diagnosis is increasing the proportion of NEETs with autism. The proportion of NEETs with autism has doubled in 5 years. The proportion of NEETS with ADHD has also increased.
I also think that the increased diagnosis of mental health issues is also affecting the number of NEETS. Those with mental health issues are seeing themselves as less capable of work, training or education.
Just to clarify, I am not against diagnosis where it is helpful especially those with many symptoms of autism or those who have have a severe clinical episode. I am concerned that overdiagnosis is causing people to see themselves as more helpless and less capable of being in work, training or education. It is beneficial for mental health long-term to be in work, training or education.
@windowliaisy I agree that normal anxiety, sadness etc is now being labelled as a mental health issue. We need to build young people's resilience and labelling everything isn't helping.

You have either missed or ignored my point, though. Of course some have higher support/care needs. However, lower support needs doesn’t equal borderline autistic.

One contributing factor I haven’t yet seen mentioned (maybe I have missed it?) is the cuts to the Access to Work scheme. These cuts have hindered some disabled people from working and particularly hinder some from starting a new job.

Lord wolfson said why labours policies have directly affected next hiring younger people

@windowliaisy don't understand your post ?

I expected the labour government to come out screaming with policies to help young people when they were elected in 2024. How can they not have read the room on this?

Yep

Hi there,

MNers on this thread might be interested to know that that next week Justine will be sitting down with Alan Milburn to talk about his report and ask him your questions. If you've got something you'd like to ask, please do head to this thread and post it there.

Thanks,
MNHQ

There is now some evidence of a Nocebo effect when negative expectations cause a person to have adverse physical and psychological symptoms.
There is research showing people across the world reporting exactly the same Tourettes symptoms as an influencer on social media.
Are mental health issues and other disorders spreading as a result of social media influence? Is this then affecting young people's ability to be in employment, education and training?
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535311-600-from-headaches-to-tics-how-mass-nocebo-effects-spread-real-symptoms/
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3167012/