Societal Change
The over-digitalisation of childhood is driving serious, large-scale societal changes and we are only just beginning to see the consequences.
Human change is happening now
The digitalisation of everyday life is contributing to a host of serious issues amongst young people, including a rising mental health crisis and weakened essential life skills, such as critical thinking, social and emotional resilience, relational intelligence, and cognitive functions like literacy, numeracy, and memory.
This has profound consequences for our children, but also for future societies. There is a human, an economic, and a societal imperative to find solutions to protect children's development in the digital age.
What is Human Change?
‘Human change’ is the term we use to describe how technology is changing what it means to be human today, and – like climate change – human change urgently requires a coordinated global effort.
Real life interactions are being rapidly replaced or diluted by virtual ‘connectivity’, manipulative algorithms, and platforms that exploit our attention and attachment – and children are most at risk.
AI’s impact on our humanity
What is Human Change?
‘Human change’ is the term we use to describe how technology is changing what it means to be human today, and – like climate change – human change urgently requires a coordinated global effort.
Real life interactions are being rapidly replaced or diluted by virtual ‘connectivity’, manipulative algorithms, and platforms that exploit our attention and attachment – and children are most at risk.
How is this Impacting Our Children?
Time online is increasingly replacing time spent engaging in the real world. This is contributing to an epidemic of loneliness and a loss of essential life skills, including emotional intelligence, social resilience, and the ability to nurture and commit to in-person relationships.
Epidemic of Loneliness
We are the most connected generation in history – and the loneliest. The technology which promised to make us more connected has only deepened social isolation.
Digital Addiction
We live in the attention economy, where advertisers and technology companies’ success depends on how long they can keep us online. As a result, technological design often fuels addictive behaviors.
Loss of Essential Life Skills
Overreliance on digital technology and AI is changing how young people learn, behave, and communicate. Essential life skills are being lost.
What Does the Future Look Like?
If childhood is increasingly digitalised – with AI tutors replacing human teachers, AI companions replacing genuine friends and romantic partners, and people turning to chatbots for advice and emotional support instead of parents, therapists, or community leaders – we must face the reality that what it means to be human will change.
At Human Change Foundation, we’re looking holistically at technology’s impact on humanity, and asking big questions about how to define the future we want our children to inherit:
- What makes a healthy functioning society?
- What human skills make like meaningful?
- How can we put meaningful human relationships back at the center of our society?
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