Social media is increasing psychological issues among the youth; their political inclusion must be ensured, and they must be equipped with modern skills for better employment opportunities: Participants express their views at the “Express Forum” on the occasion of “World Youth Day.”
World Youth Day is celebrated worldwide on August 12th. In Pakistan, too, various events are organized at the governmental and private levels in connection with this day.
Fortunately, a large part of our population consists of youth. They are our valuable asset and future. If they are guided in the right direction, the dream of national development can be realized. What is the current situation of the youth, what challenges do they face, and what steps is the government taking for them? To answer such questions, a special discussion was organized at the “Express Forum” on the occasion of “World Youth Day,” in which representatives from the government and youth were invited. The discussions are presented to the readers.
A significant portion of our population is youth, who are being severely affected by social media, leading to increasing social and psychological issues. In such circumstances, it is the government’s responsibility to guide them, provide them with the right direction, and offer resources. Youth is a priority for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. She wants to bring the youth forward to reduce their frustration. That is why the Punjab government is launching major projects for the youth to engage them in healthy activities and protect them from the harmful effects of social media.
We organized a sports summer camp where children were trained by top trainers. When they returned tired, they stayed away from social media, and their mental and physical health improved due to physical activity. Now we are going to organize sports events on a large scale, involving 1 million youth. The inclusion of youth will be ensured from the union council level to the provincial level. We are also inviting educational institutions to use our facilities; we will train and groom students. We initiated the Youth Exchange Program, under which students from Balochistan were invited here to promote inter-provincial harmony and empower the youth.
Currently, we have 20 e-libraries in Punjab, with thousands of members who are being provided with free facilities. Under the e-Rozgar program, 58,000 students have been trained so far. Now, the Punjab government is bringing the Chief Minister Internship Program to make the youth skilled and provide them with employment. A fund of 1 billion rupees has been allocated for this project, under which 6,000 students will be given internships and a monthly stipend of 25,000 rupees. This way, they will be provided with direct employment from home, their experience will increase, and job opportunities will be created. Our youth are capable, and including them in decision-making will bring improvement.
In this regard, we have formed a 32-member youth committee, written to 16 universities, and 2 students from each university have been included. In my view, we need to engage the youth, train and groom them, and make them economically self-sufficient. If we achieve this, not only will the problems of the youth be solved, but they will also actively contribute to the country’s development. To promote sports, we are bringing a 2 billion rupee endowment fund, under which 200 athletes will be given a monthly stipend of 70,000 rupees. This way, they will be economically self-sufficient and continue their sports. We are going to create a Youth Policy, in which the opinions of the youth will be taken. We believe that the youth are in tune with modern requirements, so their inclusion will bring improvement.
School-going children are not happy; they are burdened under the name of performance, which has a deep impact on their psychology. Therefore, parents and teachers need to be taught not to put children in big exams; everything has its time. An 18-year-old cannot perform like a professor; give them the margin of their youth.
Unfortunately, our children have been victimized in the form of social media. What is reaching them through social media is increasing the confusion in their lives; they cannot set their goals, which is affecting their personality. After seeing various things on social media, they set big goals for themselves, want a personality like Tom Cruise, and money like Bill Gates. These unrealistic goals are a big issue for them. We need to guide the children.
We need to provide career counseling, psychological help, encouragement, and goal-setting training. Our youth are currently going through a cultural shift, so they need to be dealt with with extreme patience. We should communicate with the youth; the more realistic their goals, the more peace they will have. A study on the psychological problems caused by social media revealed that Facebook users experience stress hormones released in their bodies with every notification, which is why our children are becoming irritable due to excessive social media use.
They are not getting enough sleep and are experiencing anxiety. Our youth compare themselves with others on social media, leading to feelings of inferiority and deprivation. We need to build their confidence, give them the mindset of cooperation instead of competition. We must understand that human civilization has thrived by cooperating with each other; cooperation is the reason for survival, so achieve your goals together, not alone. Due to social media, children are under more psychological pressure and problems than ever before. Parents should not panic but consult a psychologist. The tragedy is that we take medicine for sugar and headaches but do not treat the stress causing them. We have moved away from nature; we need to change our behavior.
World Youth Day is celebrated globally on August 12th. On this day, the issues and demands of the youth are considered, and a future course of action is planned. Over 64% of Pakistan’s population consists of youth, which is encouraging, but unfortunately, our youth do not have better guidelines. Therefore, keeping the time in mind, they should be guided, or else problems will increase, and conditions will worsen. 32% of our youth are women, whose condition is alarming. It is unfortunate that 70% of students do not continue their education after matriculation. Currently, there are over 20 million children who do not attend school.
They are our future, and their poor condition is a precursor to our future. Unfortunately, in our patriarchal system, women are deprived of the basic right to education. They should be given both traditional and vocational education. I belong to Shahdara, Lahore, where there is also a backward mindset, which is concerning. In our society, the use of the internet is forbidden for women, and they do not even have mobile phones. This year’s theme for World Youth Day is “From Click to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development,” so we need to introduce youth and women to digital skills.
The government must work on digital skills on a large scale at the official level. If we want to progress, we must work on SDG No. 5, gender equality. Men, women, transgender people, and minorities should all be given their rights without any discrimination. Unfortunately, our education system is lacking and is not aligned with modern requirements. Article 25(A) of the Constitution relates to education, which mandates free and compulsory education for citizens under 16 and obliges the state to ensure it. The lack of education is increasing child labor; if this clause of the Constitution is implemented, there will be improvement in society, and child labor will be eliminated, and they will not be subjected to violence.
It is regrettable that degree-holding youth are unemployed; they need to be given modern skills to prepare them according to global standards. The condition of domestic workers is also dire; there is a lack of education, health, and other facilities for their children. We need to focus on them. The strict and discouraging attitude of teachers in schools is making children rebellious; teachers must be trained, and they should also be given psychological training. On the occasion of World Youth Day, it is demanded that the youth be prepared according to modern requirements, everyone be given access to the internet, actions be taken concerning climate change and local governments.
A code of conduct should be established, student unions should be restored, they should be empowered, 50% seats should be reserved for women, vocational training centers should be established, career counseling for youth should be conducted, youth should be given free transportation facilities, and effective implementation of Article 25(A) of the Constitution should be ensured. If we do all this, the youth will get the right direction, they will become skilled, and unemployment will be eradicated from the country. The government has to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and we, as civil society, are helping the government in achieving these goals and working at the grassroots level through self-help.
According to the National Youth Policy, individuals aged 15 to 29 years are considered youth, while in government projects, this age is 18 to 35 years. Currently, 68% of the country’s population is youth, which is a significant portion. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, there are 120.7 million registered voters, of which 55 million are youth, meaning 43% of registered voters are between 18 and 35 years of age. In the 2013