Six Weeks On: Takeaways From The Table

It has been six weeks since we hosted “The Table”, our youth-led hackathon event at BETT with Beyond and the Molly Rose Foundation, and what an extraordinarily busy 6 weeks for online safety and digital wellbeing!

On Monday, the government launched its national consultation “Growing up in the online world” and never has youth voice been so important to a debate as decisions are being made about those young people.

Six weeks on from the event, what were the 6 key takeaways from “The Table”?

It is clear that young people want regulation to prioritise wellbeing, to prohibit addictive design, and to focus on digital and media literacy which is statutory, from early years, and inclusive and available to all.

Throughout the consultation period and beyond, FlippGen will continue to work tirelessly to ensure young people’s voices are part of the conversation.

1. The System Prioritises Profit Over Wellbeing and Democracy

Engagement-driven algorithms amplify extreme, polarising and emotionally manipulative content because it drives views and monetisation. This fuels misinformation, harmful influencers, gender-based harms and distrust in institutions — weakening informed democratic participation.

2. Addictive Design Is a Structural Problem, Not a Personal Failure

Infinite scroll, autoplay, gamification and dopamine-led features are intentionally built to maximise time spent. These reduce reflection, increase anxiety and polarisation, and crowd out healthier offline experiences. The issue is design architecture, not just individual screen time.

3. Regulation Must Address Design and Duty of Care — Not Just Content

Fines and content moderation alone are insufficient. Stronger enforcement (eg by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act) should require:

• Transparent algorithms

• Proof of harm reduction

• Age-appropriate design standards

• Limits on addictive features
  Platforms should demonstrate safety before expanding to younger users.

4. Media Literacy Must Be Statutory, Early and Systemic

Current provision is patchy and reliant on charities. Digital and media literacy should be:

• Statutory and embedded across the curriculum (including updated PSHE)

• Focused on algorithms, disinformation resilience and critical thinking

• Introduced from early years

• Inclusive and available to all young people
  Education must run alongside regulation — bans alone will not solve the problem.

5. Young People Must Be Co-Designers, Not Just Recipients

Youth expertise is essential. Meaningful engagement means:

• Co-designing solutions from the start

• Youth-led boards and peer-to-peer models

• Proper incentives or payment for participation

• Policymakers demonstrating how youth input shapes outcomes

6. A Healthier Digital Space Requires Built-In Friction and Positive Design

Move beyond “screen time” debates toward:

• Friction by default (no automatic looping, interruptions to endless scroll)

• Algorithms used to promote positive, trustworthy content

• Removal of exploitative digital traps

• Easy access to trusted, youth-friendly information spaces

• Supporting stronger offline lives so platforms aren’t just filling boredom