The Future That Isn’t Allowed to Speak

At 16, you are told that you are the future. You are told that you will change, shape the world; that you will alter our society for the better. And yet, at 16, you are told to cease your talking, to stay silent. You are told that you are “too young to understand politics”, “too immature to debate serious issues”, or “too inexperienced to have an opinion that truly matters”. This contradiction sits at the centre of what it means to be young with no voice in current years. We, the younger generations, are celebrated as symbols of fate and hope, yet we are time and again dismissed as “nothings”. The real question now is no longer whether young people care, but whether young people truly have a voice, or whether that voice only exists when it is comfortable for those in power to hear it.

The “Loudest Generation” In History

This generation is often portrayed as the “loudest in history”, and in a variety of ways, that is in fact, true. Young people in the past never had the opportunities that we do now; they never had access to such platforms to express themselves. A singular post on TikTok or Instagram can get up to thousands of views in just minutes. Teenagers have always discussed war, race, injustice, mental health, identity, climate change. They aren’t hidden in diaries or personal journals, these are said in public digital spaces. Constantly, every second, the world watches what young people have to say. Greta Thunberg inspired millions of students. Greta skipped school to protest outside the Swedish parliament; she was just a singular teenager holding a sign. All these students followed her example, advocating for youth activism and bringing it into the  global spotlight. Whether being admired, or criticised, Greta Thunberg proved that young voices could no longer be ignored. Yet being visible is not the same thing as being powerful. Speaking is not the same as being truly heard.

Being Heard vs Being Taken Seriously as a Young Person

Adults often claim that they value perspectives of the youth, until those perspectives challenge the routines that benefit them. When young students are vocal about the damage caused by excessive academic pressure, they are just told that “stress is simply part of success” and to just push stress aside (like that’s an option). When young people criticise governments who fail to protect the environment, they are shut down and labelled as unrealistic. When teenagers openly talk about depression, anxiety, burnout or any other personal problems, they are told that they are too sensitive for the reality of this real world we live in. We are constantly “encouraged” to communicate our feelings and to express ourselves, yet, we can only do so within the limits that adults want to tolerate. As soon as the voices of the youth become critical rather than inspiring, they are quickly undermined. 

One of the clearest examples of this contradiction is education. Students all across the world repeatedly raise concerns regarding outdated curricula, extreme exam pressure and constant performance anxiety. “They don’t get a break”. The complaints are being retold all the time across and throughout social media, classrooms and student forums. Even with these efforts, meaningful reform remains slow and even untouched. Young individuals are requested for feedback, but rarely given any real influence. Their experiences are somewhat acknowledged, but rarely prioritised. Gradually, students are taught a dangerous lesson; speaking up does not always lead to change. 

The Power and Limits of Digital Activism

In current years, one of the most powerful tools for youth expression is digital activism. From fundraising campaigns for humanitarian crises to movements against racism, sexism and violence, social media has been transformed into a “digital agora” by teens and young people. For many young people who can’t vote, can’t attend political conferences, and can’t access traditional platforms of power, the internet is the only space where they can voice, and where their voices feel equal. Activism online has raised/spread awareness, fought against harmful language and provided support for those who felt alone. Online activism has helped so many survivors of abuse speak openly about their situations and allowed marginalised voices to be heard globally. 

But, digital activism has limits… The algorithms decide which posts go viral and which vanish. Indignation spreads way faster than thoughtful discussions. Serious injustice can become a “trend”  that lasts a week, then is completely forgotten about the next. We could speak loudly online, but the visibility of the stuff posted is in the system’s hands, we can’t control it. Their chords exist in these platforms made for engagement, not necessarily for long term social change. 

The Quiet Ways Young People Are Silenced

When younger people are silenced, it’s rarely through direct censorship, instead, it happens through something called “condensation”. “You’ll understand it when you’re older”. “You don’t know how the real world works yet”. “It’s just a phase”. These phrases may sound harmless when not paying attention, they quietly erase newer generations’ experiences. Yet, we do understand the real word, we are living in it. We understand financial struggle when our families face it daily. We understand war when we watch it unfold across our screens. We understand ecological anxiety when our future seems uncertain at this point of time. We understand loneliness in a world that is always connected, yet emotionally distant. Youth is not ignorance. Simply,  it’s just a different position within the same reality we exist in.

The Illusion of Political Power

Politically, the limits of youth vocal expression have become even more evident. In most countries the age applicable for voting is 18. This means millions of teenagers live under laws that they had no say in. Educational, housing, digital privacy, climate policies and economic decisions form young lives before they are legally allowed to influence them. Student parliaments exist in some places, but their power is often only symbolic. Advice could be asked from the young society, but the final decisions always remain in the adults’ hands. We are told that we will gain power “one day”, but the world we are supposed to inherit is already being modelled without us.

The Break Through of Youth Voices

Moreover, despite all of this, young voices sometimes do break through the wall. Students protesting unfair school policies have forced administrations to reconsider and alter rules. Young creators challenging toxic beauty standards have reshaped online culture. Teen led movements have raised millions for disaster relief and humanitarian aid. The movements not only matter because they prove that young people are right to speak, but because they prove that young people can make change. Real voice isn’t measured by volume, it is measured by the impact it makes.

Why Young Voices Matter More Than Ever

Young voices matter more than ever because young people are growing up inside of the world’s newest crises. Climate change is not an indirect threat to humanity, it’s the background of our upcoming future. Artificial Intelligence is not a fresh sense of originality in our world, it’s a competition for our careers. Mental health struggles are not made up or situations that don’t matter, there are classmates, friends, and most importantly, ourselves. They don’t speak from afar, they speak from the need of action. That urgency doesn’t weaken opinions, rather, it strengthens them.

History shows that nearly every major social transformation from civil rights, to gender equality, to anti-war movements was motivated and driven by young people who refused to stay silent any longer. Almost every time they fought, they were told that they were too young and immature to understand what they were fighting for. History later proved otherwise.

Well… Do Young People Actually Have a Voice?

So, do young people actually have a voice? The honest answer is that it’s complicated. Young people have platforms. Young people have opinions. Young people are speaking far louder than ever before. We have a voice. But, a voice without power is fragile. Too often, voices are being trampled upon, when they are acknowledged they aren’t being respected. They are displayed for us to see, but without trust. They are applauded, but they aren’t being acted upon. We are invited to speak, but never to decide. 

The Path We Should Follow Onwards

If adults truly believe that “young people are the future”, then they must begin treating them as part of this day and age. This signifies listening without being pushed away. And for young people themselves, this stands for the continuation of speech, even when it’s uncomfortable. We have to be a part of this, a part of our world. We have to be included in decision making rather than just discussions and respecting living experiences in place of minimising it to immaturity by adults. This means learning how to argue thoughtfully, not only loudly. It means turning awareness into persistent action. 

Having a voice is not something that is politely handed over to you. History shows that it is a right that is repeatedly being taken away. 

Young people do have a voice.

The real question is whether the world is finally ready to listen.

Give us your take on the Roundtable.