In the wake of Monday’s announcement that under 16s will be banned from accessing social media in the UK and increasing restrictions and bans on social media platforms across the world, a difficult truth is emerging. For many young people, these spaces were not just entertainment, they were their community, identity, and belonging.
When those digital worlds shrink or disappear, it can feel like an entire generation is losing its social fabric.
But rather than trying to recreate the past, we have an opportunity to build something better. Real-world social ecosystems that are just as engaging, participatory, and meaningful as the digital ones they replace.
It got me thinking about the work we do at Collaborate Out Loud and how our principles and mission of ‘creating surprising, simple and social spaces for social innovation and change’ applies in this context. Here are my thoughts.
We can lean on the five principles of collaborating out loud, our way of working that emphasises openness, shared ownership, and visible participation to explore ways that we can rebuild something meaningful in the real world.
Make Participation Visible
Social media thrives because participation is seen. Likes, comments, shares, they all signal “I’m here, and I contribute.” In the real world, we often fail to make participation visible.
What we can do:
- Create spaces where contributions are acknowledged publicly (community boards, live showcases, peer recognition moments).
- Design events where input shapes outcomes, not just attendance.
- Encourage young people to show their work, whether that’s art, ideas, or initiatives.
If young people can see their impact, they are far more likely to feel they belong.
Lower the Barrier to Entry
Online spaces succeed because it’s easy to join, speak, and engage. Real-world environments often feel intimidating or exclusive by comparison.
What we can do:
- Remove unnecessary gatekeeping and simplify how people join groups or activities.
- Offer “low-commitment” ways to take part (drop-in sessions, trial opportunities).
- Ensure environments feel psychologically safe, not performative or judgmental.
Belonging begins with access. If it’s hard to walk in, it’s even harder to stay.
Build in Shared Ownership
The most powerful online communities are not controlled; they are co-created.
Young people don’t just want to consume experiences. They want to shape them.
What we can do:
- Invite young people to co-design events, spaces, and programmes.
- Shift from “we built this for you” to “we’re building this together.”
- Give real responsibility, not token involvement.
When young people feel ownership, engagement becomes intrinsic not something we have to push.
Make Interaction Continuous, Not One-Off
Social platforms are engaging because they are always on. Real-world initiatives often fail because they are episodic. A one-off event cannot replace a social network.
What we can do:
- Design ongoing communities, not isolated experiences.
- Use digital tools to support real-world continuity e.g. messaging groups, shared calendars, hybrid touchpoints.
- Establish rhythms (weekly meetups, recurring collaboration cycles).
The goal is not to reject digital but to use it as a bridge, not the destination.
Celebrate Identity and Belonging
Social media gave young people a place to explore identity and to find “people like me.”
Without that, many feel invisible.
What we can do:
- Create spaces where diverse identities are seen, respected, and celebrated.
- Encourage self-expression through creativity, discussion, and storytelling.
- Build micro-communities within larger ones, smaller groups often drive deeper connection.
Belonging is not just about presence, t’s about being recognized.
A Mindset Shift We Can’t Ignore
We must confront a hard reality. It is not acceptable for an entire generation to feel like their world is disappearing. But the solution is not to dismiss digital life as shallow or replaceable. For many young people, it was real, meaningful, and formative.
Instead, we need to reframe:
- The real world is not a replacement for digital connection, it is an extension of it.
- The digital world should not define identity, it should support it.
What Success Could Look Like
If we get this right, we won’t just “fill the gap” left by social media. We will create something richer:
- Communities where young people feel seen, not just viewed
- Spaces where they are contributors, not consumers
- Networks that exist both online and offline, with purpose in each
The question is not ‘How do we pull young people away from screens?’ The real question is ‘How do we make the world around them as engaging, participatory, and meaningful as the one they’re leaving behind’?
If we collaborate out loud with openness, shared ownership, and intentional design we won’t just rebuild social networks. We’ll rebuild belonging.
