22 May 2025
By Caribbean World magazine
“I’d rather have grown up offline.”
A powerful, almost unthinkable sentiment in the digital age—yet this is exactly how nearly half of 16- to 21-year-olds in Britain feel, according to a groundbreaking new study by the British Standards Institution.
This isn’t just teenage melodrama or TikTok backlash. It’s a stark warning that something’s gone fundamentally wrong in the way young people experience the internet—and what was once seen as a gateway to connection is increasingly viewed as a trapdoor to anxiety, confusion, and fractured identity.
Let’s take a look at the numbers.
Key Findings: When Digital Turns Destructive
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Self-Worth on the Decline:
A staggering 70% of respondents said they feel worse about themselves after using social media. Not just bored. Worse.
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A Cry for Curfews:
Half of all young people now support a “digital curfew”—blocking access to apps like Instagram and Snapchat after 10pm. Not imposed by government, but by design.
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Dangerous Online Habits:
The study paints a disturbing picture:
→ 42% have lied about their age online
→ 40% use burner accounts
→ 27% have impersonated others
→ 27% have shared their live location with strangers
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Pandemic Pressure:
For 68% of respondents, the increased internet use during lockdown worsened their mental health. That’s not a side effect—it’s a crisis.
Self-Worth on the Decline:
A staggering 70% of respondents said they feel worse about themselves after using social media. Not just bored. Worse.
A Cry for Curfews:
Half of all young people now support a “digital curfew”—blocking access to apps like Instagram and Snapchat after 10pm. Not imposed by government, but by design.
Dangerous Online Habits:
The study paints a disturbing picture:
→ 42% have lied about their age online
→ 40% use burner accounts
→ 27% have impersonated others
→ 27% have shared their live location with strangers
Pandemic Pressure:
For 68% of respondents, the increased internet use during lockdown worsened their mental health. That’s not a side effect—it’s a crisis.
What the Experts Say
Child safety advocates aren’t surprised—but they are alarmed.
Rani Govender, of the NSPCC, said that simply restricting access isn’t enough. “We need platforms that are safe by design, not just by schedule.” Her words are echoed by Andy Burrows of the Molly Rose Foundation, who lost his own daughter to suicide linked to harmful online content.
Their message? If big tech won’t change, policy must.
A Cultural Counter-Swing
If millennials were the first digital natives, Gen Z might be the first digital rebels.
Many are consciously reducing screen time. They’re ditching smartphones for “dumbphones”, showing up to meetups with no Wi-Fi and no filter. Digital detox isn’t a trend for them—it’s a survival tactic.
Enter movements like the Logging Off Club—social circles where phones go in the drawer and conversation comes out. For a generation raised on curated personas, there’s a thirst for something real, something unedited.
They don’t just want less tech. They want less dependence on tech.
Schools Step In
Some institutions are taking bold steps. The Ormiston Academies Trust, which runs 44 schools across England, recently declared its intention to become the first phone-free academy chain in the country.
That’s 35,000 students who will be learning in environments free from the dopamine loops of push notifications and social feeds. The Trust’s message is clear: education should happen in the moment—not in the metaverse.
Final Thought from the Editor
The question is no longer “Is the internet good or bad?”
The question is: How do we live with it responsibly, sanely, and safely?
Gen Z, once expected to be hyper-connected, is leading a quieter revolution: choosing peace over pings, connection over clicks. That’s not regression. That’s wisdom.
And if the grown-ups are smart, we’ll listen.
