Today, we hosted our first Youth Design Jam with NGO ThinkYoung in the heart of Europe, in Brussels. Building on the multi-year effort of Trust, Transparency & Control Labs (TTC Labs), the Jam brought together young people, policymakers and industry experts to co-design more positive and age-appropriate online experiences for young people.

Back in February, we launched the EU Youth Design Challenge when we asked young pupils from several European countries to collaborate on the development of social media privacy and safety tools. After receiving many great proposals, we invited diverse and creative teams from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden to Brussels, to give them the opportunity to meet with European policymakers and industry experts and have their voices heard. 

The students shared unique perspectives and experiences, and prototyped potential transparency, control and education tools to help shape current and future technologies that meet their needs.

This approach is aligned with the European Union’s Better Internet for Kids Strategy, which calls on the industry to actively involve young people in the development of their digital products and services, empowering young people to influence the co-creation of their digital environment.

The success of this first-of-its-kind Youth Design Jam has inspired a series of events across Europe which we hope can tangibly improve the online environment for everyone, so that all people, no matter their age, can fully benefit from this innovative and inclusive approach to design.