The idea that the state should recognise the years between approximately 18 and 25 as a distinct phase, requiring its own tailored policies, is gaining traction in Westminster. This comes as research suggests that the transition to adulthood is shifting for Generation Z.
The Nuffield Foundation thinktank, which has spent two years researching changing journeys to adulthood, held a seminar this week. This seminar drew on academic insights and Alan Milburn's review of factors contributing to young people being Not in Education, Employment, or Training (Neet).
Milburn noted that while councils are responsible for teenagers up to 18, their responsibility for what happens after that age is not clear. In contrast, the Netherlands extends state responsibilities up to 24 or, in some cases, 27. Carey Oppenheim of the Nuffield Foundation highlighted that in Australia, children and adolescent mental health services run from age 12 up to 25, acknowledging that adolescence may not end at 19. In Britain, teenagers transition abruptly from children's mental health services to adult ones, where intervention thresholds can be higher.
The IPPR thinktank's 'State of A Generation' project also warns of a society where "transitions to adulthood are blocked" and young people are increasingly nihilistic about their future. The evidence suggests that a significant minority of young people may be falling into a gap between childhood and adulthood, particularly in the current economic climate.