Alan Milburn, the former health secretary tasked with investigating why nearly one million young people in the UK are not in employment, education or training (Neet), has said that social media is a key driver of economic inactivity among the young. In an interview with The Times, Milburn described these young people not as 'snowflakes' but as part of a 'bedroom generation' who are 'on all the time, they're never off'.
Milburn warned that social media affects young people's sleep patterns and concentration levels, impacting their ability to work. He said, 'People say it's a soft generation. My view unequivocally is that it isn't. It is an anxious generation.' His interim report, due next week, is expected to highlight that every one of a group of ten 12- and 13-year-olds involved in his review said they go to bed between midnight and 3am because they are scrolling on their phones.
The report will also warn that the welfare state and world of work were built for a different generation and that British businesses must adapt to offer 'a high level of pastoral care for this cohort of young people living with mental distress'. Milburn added that employers have been 'on easy streets' by importing 'oven-ready' migrant labour.
According to the Office for National Statistics, an estimated 12.8% of all people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were Neet in October to December 2025, totalling 957,000. A separate report published earlier this week also identified social media as a driver of 'quitting culture' among young people, with some enjoying the 'dopamine hit of a new job but then get bored very quickly and want to move on'.
The Government has taken flexible powers in the recently passed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act to ban under-16s from the most harmful social media platforms, and could introduce curfews or scrolling limits. A consultation titled 'Growing up in the Online World' is open until Tuesday to help decide on further action.
