A new report from the Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice (CYPEP), has found that young people are missing out on being young.

Read the report: Young people's perspectives on missing out on being young

In this report, members of CYPEP's youth reference group draw on data from the 2022 Australian Youth Barometer to provide possible views on what it means to be young and to miss out on being young. It found that a large proportion of young people (45% in 2022 and 42% in 2023) reported often or very often felt like they were missing out on this crucial stage – a time of great development, exploration, experimentation, trial and misstep, as well as success and opportunity.

Their discussion takes place at a unique time, situated within the historical context of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to the labour force and the growing pressures placed upon young people.

Co-author and Director of the Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice, Professor Lucas Walsh said the report highlights how young people must be at the centre of this discussion about how they can be better supported.

“Young people, locked up during the pandemic, navigating a hostile employment environment and upended studies, have told us they have missed out on being young. They’ve been denied key life-experiences during a critical period of development in their lives,” said Professor Walsh.