Design Beyond Age
We rarely appreciate young people as social actors and collaborators. This is how to rethink the age gap in our current system.
At a glance
- Objective: explore struggles of young people in a world made and controlled by adults by taking a young person’s perspective
- Outcomes: (1) better understanding of the age gap; (2) basis for more reflected decision-making for adults and parents who are in direct contact with young people or make decisions on their behalf; (3) concepts for eye-to-eye collaboration between young people and adults
Context: Young people in our society
Globally, about 26 percent of the world is under 15 years of age. This makes astonishing 2 billion participants growing up as part of our society. Young people, who experience fast changes in their personality, mindset and skillset. Who by the age of twelve already developed fine motor skills, complex problem-solving skills and abstract thinking. Who are empathetic, social and morally conscious. And who soon or already are club or party members, project teams, idea leaders, volunteers, interns and much more.
They become in every way part of part of our social ecosystem. They consume products like games, toys, food, sports, mobile devices, computers, books, movies, fashion. And use services like social media, apps, websites and subscriptions. Just like adults.
In short, they are social actors in our society, living and participating in the same ecosystem, guided by shared values, rules, ambitions. Also they are still legally limited in their social participation and dependent on adults, e.g. in their obligation to go to school, liability for their actions or voting rights.
Disclaimer: I’m not a child anymore and can only assume what might be going on in their mind based on my own experiences and research. This should not stop me trying. Unfortunately I can’t focus on all age groups in each facet. I chose to take the perspective of two middle school students with different ages and upbringing to analyse their point-of-view.
The struggles of two young people
Robert (11) and Julie (14) are two students going to a Berlin middle school, where they participate in a project week. In groups of five mixed with students from ages 11 to 15 they work on “social networks in the classroom”.
Robert (11) was born in 2008 and visits middle school in Berlin (5th grade). He is an only child and usually spends his time with classmates his own age. When he’s uncertain about something he asks Google. Being usually bored by the theoretical lessons he tends to be “the funny guy” in class, which is why teachers complain about his behaviour and lack of concentration. Still he’s doing good in school. He often overhears his parents having political conversations about right parties and violence but can’t make sense of it. As a typical Millennial and digital native he grew up with technology like social media and smartphones. Growing up in the upper middle class, he can afford having the latest iPhone, Xbox-games and fashion brands.
“My parents have pretty high expectations.”
“In my group of friends it’s important to have the latest gadgets to be cool.”
Julie (14) was born in 2004 and like Robert visits middle school. She has an older sister she can talk to, but usually they have their own social lives. At school she often skips classes because she feels like she doesn’t belong. Sometimes she’s absent and easily distracted. Her grades are below average and she doesn’t have motivation to learn. She escapes to the park to meet her few loyal friends, while her parents are busy with their own problems. She can’t always afford the latest gadgets. She distances from big political topics but worries about her future when hearing about climate change. Sometimes she feels frustrated about not knowing how to participate in these discussions.
“Sometimes I feel like no one cares. Does it matter what I’m doing anyways?”
“I feel like an outsider with my old phone and cheap shoes.”
Two worlds - similar struggles and goals
Robert and Julie appear to have different lifestyles, characters, obligations and rights but share many similarities and struggles.
Identity. Both students find their role in the project group. They reflect their behaviour and observe the effect on their peers. They’re not always aware when being unfair to each other when showing off their latest phone. Unavoidably they compare skills and social status, where technology and friends are important topics. In this process Julie may behave more introvert and contributes content while Robert may be more outgoing being a communicator.
Social Boxing. As they rarely have contact with peers from different age groups, cultures or “social boxes”, the students may struggle to understand different viewpoints. They’re anxious and excited at the same time, making sense of their experiences and navigating through different emotions.
Respect and Inclusion. Their opinions on social networks and technology at school are barely valued outside the school project. Digital products which they use every day are designed by adults. If we ask the students, we might find out that Robert is intimidated by the violence on the news. Julie might find using social media frustrating because she doesn’t have access to the latest gadgets. In her free time though she reads about climate change in online forums.
Isolation and Distance. Political topics like climate change or populism feel distant. School topics appear abstract and useless in daily life. They’d much rather spend time with friends or on their hobbies. The students feel disconnected or overwhelmed, resulting in little motivation to learn, participation or frustration. Adults misinterpret this behaviour and feel little empathy or understanding.
What is their relationship to adults?
Both students are still legally and financially dependent on their parents. While trying to emancipate themselves they are still a family that cares for each other. This co-dependency might feel limiting and frustrating. The relationships become increasingly complicated. They experiment with the status quo, rebel and resist by nature. Robert might perceive his parents as role models or guides to help him make sense of the world. However he struggles with their high expectations. Julie might have a more distant relationship and craves for more attention and guidance. However she is loyal and loves to be around her parents.
Each relationship is a strong mix of positive and negative emotions, needs ands struggles. In this nature of relationships lie new opportunities.
Five concepts for young people inclusion
Multi-Generational Environments
We can create physical spaces, where different age groups and backgrounds hang out together. This resolves the unnatural grouping and insolation of spending time in your own “age bubble”. Hence Robert and Julie might feel less insecure about each other and start learning from each other on eye-level.
Social Actors
We can design and make with the people who are involved rather than talking about them, making assumptions. Including the two youngsters into the processes of making decisions, designing products or collaborating on new social media platforms might create a new feeling of respect, responsibility and inclusion. Making young people social actors with active parts in society can help them understand complex situation like climate change and take ownership of multi-generational problems which can only be tackled together. The foundation is already there, looking at §12 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:
Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously.
Experience-Driven Learning
We can start working on hands-on projects to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. This relates to social acting as it brings learning closer to the actual reality young people are experiencing. Rather than passively following a curriculum, Robert and Julie feel and control the implications of new theories, which previously were too abstract. It considers different concentration spans and learning types.
Collaboration and Co-Creation
We can realise that “children can be viewed as credible participants, with valuable knowledge and experiences about their own world and surroundings.” (Hansen) The two youngsters have a less constrained and biased mindset, which makes them perfect contributors to find solutions and combine different disciplines. For example to come up with a new green energy policy outside legacy laws and power plays. Working on eye-level might give them more confidence and a better understanding how the world they grow up in works.
Hybrid Thinking
We can start to think hybrid instead of singular. Robert is not only thinking analytical and Julie not only a visual. Both can adapt different ways of thinking and blur the lines to understand and solve a problem. This provides them with a rich toolkit to experience their environment and be empathetic to escape the social boxes they grow up in. Hence, they feel less anxious or overwhelmed and are curious to accept complexity as driver for learning.
Conclusion, Critics and Limitations
I believe that accepting young people as social actors of our society and foster working on eye-to-eye level is a necessary and long overdue step to create a more sustainable future. For the sake of leading a productive discourse we shouldn’t ignore valid critique. Depending on age, young people have different cognitive and mental abilities to consider. When adults work with children there always is a natural power gap, based on co-dependency and life experience. Also we need to consider ethical aspects, like the right to participate vs. the right to be protected, having a mutual consent, valuing privacy and not objectifying children to be even more “productive” earlier in their life.
