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.