Connecting the world and beyond

PP 26

Digital opportunities for youth

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Digital inclusion for youth BCKGROUNDERPhoto by Andrew Aitchison/ In Pictures Ltd./ Corbis via Getty Images​
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Overview

  • When youth are equipped with affordable Internet connectivity, appropriate devices, and digital skills, education improves, unemployment drops and communities enjoy socioeconomic gains.
  • Young people need digital education to obtain decent work and economic opportunities. Technology is advancing fast, bringing new services, new devices, and new skills to master. Already, many jobs require advanced digital knowledge such as coding, software and app development, network management, machine learning, big data analysis, the Internet of Things, cybersecurity, and distributed ledger technologies like blockchain.
  • The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) works with leaders in governments, the private sector, and academia to equip young people with the digital skills to succeed in the job market and enrich their lives outside of work, and to promote youth entrepreneurship and innovation in the digital world as drivers of youth employment. Governments and other stakeholders can develop strategies, fund competitions, provide youth employment opportunities, and organize regional and global forums to increase young people's participation and improve their digital skills.
  • An estimated 79 per cent of young people are online, compared to 66 per cent of the global population.
  • Young people's perspectives and ideas must be reflected in the world's digital transformation. Their voices help shape a digital landscape that they will eventually lead.
  • Information and communication technologies (ICTs) should be designed and deployed so they are accessible to all young people. That includes youth with disabilities, migrants and those living in remote/rural areas, indigenous youth, girls and boys alike, and youth across a range of literacy levels.
  • Parents, educators, governments, industry, and other stakeholders must work together to create a safe, healthy digital environment for young people free of cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and other online hazards.
  • Schools can expand curricula to include comprehensive digital skills, from online participation and learning to online safety and wellbeing.​

Challenges

  • ​Many families do not have Internet access at home, which makes it difficult for youth to develop their digital skills.
  • Internet access varies with wealth: in high-income countries, 87 per cent of young people have an Internet connection at home, but in low-income countries, just 6 per cent do, estimates show. A young person's digital-skills development, therefore, is often linked to their parents' standard of living.
  • Experts are concerned that the lack of Internet access will lead to a shortage of skills, and in turn, a shortage of qualified workers for the new digital work force.
  • By 2030, nine out of 10 jobs will require some level of digital skills. About two-thirds of the people entering primary education today will work in jobs that do not yet exist, according to the International Labour Organization.

ITU'S CONTRIBUTION

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    Bringing young people to the table​
  • The ITU Youth Strategy was launched in 2020 to empower young people by ensuring their meaningful participation in the digital economy and bridging the digital divide. The strategy encourages youth participation in ITU activities and programmes and promotes inclusive, youth-related ICT policies in ITU Member States worldwide.
  • Generation Connect is an initiative of the ITU Youth Strategy. Since its launch in April 2021, Generation Connect has been helping young people from around the world gain the skills and opportunities to advance their vision of a connected future. The initiative encourages young people to participate as equal partners alongside today's digital leaders.
  • Generation Connect Youth Envoys from more than 60 countries provide input on digital development agendas and initiatives on ICTs.
  • Through an ITU-Huawei partnership, the Generation Connect Young Leadership Programme engages, inspires and empowers young digital leaders and changemakers. Every year, 30 young fellows from around the world receive guidance, training, and financial support to implement digital development projects in their communities.
  • The latest ITU Global Youth Summit, held in 2025 in Varadero, Cuba, amplified youth voices on tech and focused on how ICTs can advance youth education and economic opportunity. ITU youth events, which began in 2001, provide a platform for young people to share innovative ideas, build leadership skills, and connect with stakeholders and decision-makers. Video: A journey through the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) youth events throughout the years.
  • The ITU Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Board empowers young people to shape the future of global connectivity. It provides practical advice and recommendations to the ITU Secretary-General to strengthen global cooperation in bridging the digital divide and aligning ITU's programmes with global development priorities. The board gives youth a direct voice within ITU, bringing fresh, innovative and inclusive perspectives to the organization's work.
  • ITU also works toward digital inclusion of girls and young women through several initiatives:
    •  International Girls in ICT Day encourages girls and young women to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
    • The AI Skills Accelerator for Girls, a collaborative project with EY, aims to train 1,000 girls and young women from marginalized communities in digital, ethical, and managerial skills to become content creators and innovators. 
    • The EQUALS Her Digital Skills initiative, co-founded by ITU, GSMA, EY and W4, aims to provide access to free digital-skills training, e-skills badges, and e-mentoring for 1 million women and girls by 2030.
Last update: July 2025​

Thematic backgrounders



 MOTION GRAPHIC

ITU governance backgrounders

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