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For too long, young people were described as “the future”, while decisions about that future were made without them. Policies were drafted for youth, not with youth. Participation was often reduced to voting, consultation exercises or some symbolic inclusion. And slowly, but predictably, the trust eroded. Disengagement grew and it happened not in a single dramatic moment, but in countless small decisions to stay away. Not because young people stopped caring, but because they were rarely invited to genuinely shape the present.
Yet democracy does not renew itself automatically. It survives only if each generation feels ownership over the democratic processes.
That is why youth participation today must be understood differently. Not as an abstract ideal, but as a continuous, everyday process. Being an active citizen no longer means engaging only once (eventually) every few years at the ballot box. It also means showing up in the places where life actually happens: online, in communities, at school, and at work. It means having the skills, confidence, and space to participate daily: in digital environments, in communities, in education systems and increasingly in AI-mediated spaces that influence opinions, opportunities and life choices.
The European Union (EU) has recognised this shift.
In recent years, the EU has made youth engagement, digital skills, and democratic resilience core policy priorities. Nowhere is this clearer than in its approach to artificial intelligence. Also, with the adoption of the EU AI Act, Europe has positioned itself as the first global actor to put binding rules around AI, grounded in fundamental rights, human dignity and democratic values.
For European youth, this matters deeply.
Because, the EU AI Act is not just about technology. It is about protection and empowerment. It sets clear limits on harmful practices, including manipulative systems, emotion recognition in schools, discriminatory profiling in education or employment and other uses that risk turning young people into data points rather than citizens. At the same time, this revolutionary EU Act encourages innovation that is safe, ethical and aligned with societal values.
In doing so, the EU also sends an important and clear message: technological progress and democratic responsibility must advance together.
But regulation alone is not enough. In a fast-changing digital environment, where information spreads in seconds and disinformation travels faster than facts, AI literacy as a core part of the media literacy become democratic skills. The challenge of disinformation is not new, but its scale, speed and sophistication are. AI has amplified both risks and opportunities. Artificial Intelligence tools can be used to manipulate, but they can also be used to inform, educate and engage. The difference lies in the level of gained AI literacy, trust and participation.
This is where the dots connect, or at least where they should, if policy and practice start talking to each other more often and much openly.
Youth participation, media literacy, and AI literacy are not separate policy areas. They reinforce each other. A young person who understands how algorithms work, how content is generated, and how narratives are shaped is better equipped to participate meaningfully in society. A young person who feels heard and involved is more likely to trust democratic institutions. And a society that adapts its communication, education, and participation models to new realities is better positioned to remain democratic, inclusive and resilient.
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Crucially, youth participation today does not look the same as it did thirty or sixty years ago.
Each generation communicates differently, consumes information differently and organises differently: the grandparents’ town hall meeting is now the group chat or Discord server. If institutions want young people’s attention and engagement, they must be willing to adapt. That does not mean abandoning democratic principles. On the contrary. The core values remain unchanged: democracy, human rights, inclusion, accountability. What must evolve (at least for attracting the attention of these AI generations) are the channels, formats and methods through which these values are lived and practiced.
And perhaps most importantly, young people must be trusted to decide how they want to participate.
Not every form of engagement will fit traditional models. Not every platform will look familiar to policymakers. But empowerment means allowing youth to choose the tools, spaces and narratives through which they shape society. Especially in the AI era, where technology is not neutral, but deeply intertwined with power, opportunity and voice.
We are all in this together.
Europe’s democratic future will not be secured by regulation alone, nor by technology alone. It will be shaped by active citizens who are informed, skilled, and trusted to participate. Young people are not only the future of democracy. They are its present.
If we want a Europe that is democratic, innovative, and resilient in the age of AI, we have to stop only talking about youth participation and actually practice it. Not someday, but together, here and now.