Former health secretary Alan Milburn has condemned the state for a 'shameful' failure that is trapping young people in a cycle of benefits, warning of 'incalculable costs for their life chances'.
Welfare Spending Imbalance
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Milburn revealed that his government-commissioned review found that for every £25 spent on welfare for young people, only £1 is allocated to employment support. He described this as a systemic failure spanning the welfare, education, skills, and health systems.
'What we are doing is we are not prioritising getting young people into a situation where they can be learning or earning. And instead we are transporting them into the world of benefits with incalculable costs for their life chances,' he said.
The 'Bedroom Generation'
Mr Milburn pushed back against characterising young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET) as 'snowflakes', instead labelling them a 'bedroom generation'. He argued that social media has 'rewired' their brains, affecting sleep patterns, concentration, and their ability to work.
'They are not snowflakes. People say it's a soft generation. My view unequivocally is that it isn't. It is an anxious generation,' he told The Times.
According to Mr Milburn, the interim report—due next week—will highlight that these young people 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.'
Digital Impact on Youth
The review engaged a group of ten 12- and 13-year-olds, all of whom reported going to bed between midnight and 3am due to scrolling on their phones. The report is also expected to warn that the welfare state and the world of work were designed for a different generation.
Mr Milburn urged British businesses to adapt by offering 'a high level of pastoral care for this cohort of young people living with mental distress'. He added that employers have been 'on easy streets' relying on imported migrant labour, which he said 'has fallen off the cliff'.
Statistics
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an estimated 12.8% of all people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were NEET between October and December 2025, totalling 957,000 individuals.
