Britain is heading towards a serious economic problem, and the warning is coming from someone who has sat inside the government. A former minister says the country risks losing an entire generation of young people to inactivity unless employers and policymakers change how they think about this age group.
Alan Milburn is set to publish an interim report next week looking at why close to one million 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are currently not in employment, education or training. The group is referred to using the term NEET. Sky News reported that the report points to a "rising tide of mental ill health, anxiety, depression and neurodiversity" as a central reason behind this level of economic inactivity.
Milburn told The Times that calling young people "snowflakes" misses the point entirely. His report argues they are different from older generations but not lazier, less capable or less intelligent. The difference is in how they grew up. Smartphones and social media have shaped how this generation communicates, handles stress and forms relationships. The report describes them as a "bedroom generation" getting poorer sleep and struggling with concentration.
One section of the report is particularly striking. It notes that every single person in a group of ten 12 and 13-year-olds said they went to bed somewhere between midnight and 3am because they were scrolling on their phones. Covid also features in the analysis. Many of those now aged 16 to 24 were in secondary school or college during lockdowns and missed formative experiences that would normally have prepared them for working life.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show youth unemployment reached 16.2% in the three months to March 2026. That is the highest level recorded in 11 years.
Milburn believes this group could actually help address labour shortages across the British economy. His position is that employers need to make reasonable accommodations and that welfare reforms will be necessary to bring more young people into work.
A separate report published earlier this week also linked social media to what researchers described as a quitting culture among young workers. That research drew on conversations with 400 young people and found many enjoyed the novelty of starting a new job but lost interest quickly.
