Young people & smartphones: “It’s complicated”
No surprise: teenagers love their phones. But almost everyone also recognizes the downside: social media keeping you hooked longer than you want. It’s a modern dilemma — one that calls for creative, design-driven research.
“I used to have hobbies, but they’ve kind of faded away.”
When we asked Amsterdam’s youth what they would do with 6 extra hours a day, their answers were clear: going out and play football, all-you-can-eat sushi with friends, hanging out, doing something creative — or simply sleeping.
The reality? School, sleep, social time and hobbies are losing ground to endless scrolling. Young people don’t dream of a smartphone-free life, but of something else: real control. Choosing for themselves when to be online — and when not.
ScrollScrollScroll × Young Netizens Program (City of Amsterdam)
In 2025, the City of Amsterdam launched the Action Plan: Online Lives of Young People. In a world of algorithms, filters, and infinite feeds, the choice is simple: stand still, or take action.
That’s why the city invited design collective ScrollScrollScroll to collaborate with young people and explore how their digital resilience can be strengthened.
The installation Kwart van je Leven presents a unique perspective on the issue, the first outcomes of this design research — and an open invitation to think along about what comes next.
