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.

Definitely. How many times have you read an article about, say, Twiddly Syndrome, and you think… “I’ve got that symptom, and this one…” and you can almost convince yourself you are a full-blown Twiddly sufferer.

Kids/young adults on social media are getting this a million times worse - about everything. I was reading about Looksmaxxing - omg. No wonder their heads are wrecked.

Yes, I don’t blame them, even I can feel my health anxiety ramping up with the use of the internet. I wonder if blissful ignorance was better sometimes.

I agree with you about the politics side of it, for sure, but among the remaining jobs those without resilience will not be able to compete.

That would be an issue if the levels of jobs vs workforce were anywhere near close. 705 k jobs , compared to 900k NEETS. That’s without counting those over 25 who are also looking for work. Even the resilient, the great A levels , graduates etc. are NEETS now. I can’t remember exactly , but Around 13% of NEETS are graduates.

Agreed.

We need to tip the balance from spending on benefits for 16-21 year olds to spending on training and apprenticeships.

Are you aware of the numbers you're talking about?

142,359 16-21 year olds on Universal Credit with no conditionality (ie. Disabled) in the UK.

4.6 Million 16-21 year olds in the UK.

You're talking about 3% of the 16-21 age group. The other Universal Credit recipients in this age group are either working, searching for work, or preparing for work.