No, Minister
I, the Principal Gamer of School of Gaming, came across a Daily Mail article where UK Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride blames explicit content and gaming for the rise in jobless young men. The article can be found here. I almost spilled my rooibos tea on my keyboard while reading this. In my opinion, the article says more about the person making the claim than about the actual reasons why there are 900,000 young men aged 16-24 out of the labor market in Britain.
Here are a few reasons why these articles (and ministers making such claims) should be shown the door, preferably at the next elections, which apparently are coming up in the UK in the summer of 2024.
The minister's claims are not only overly simplistic but downright misleading. Here is a comprehensive list of what is wrong with such claims.
Oversimplification of Complex Issues
Behind the claim are likely much stronger factors such as economic conditions, educational opportunities, mental health, and inequality in the job market.
Ignoring the Big Picture
The world is in quite a turmoil. Automation and changes in the job market are likely much bigger factors here than young men playing games.
Lack of Facts
It may be that many young men play a lot because they are unemployed, but that does not mean they are unemployed because they play games. Correlation and causation are different things. There is no evidence or studies that say unequivocally that, for example, gaming causes youth unemployment.
Shifting the Blame
Blaming young men for their unemployment shifts the responsibility away from policymakers and societal structures. Shifting the blame frees decision-makers from taking necessary actions to address the root causes and help young people.
Stigmatization
Such statements unnecessarily stigmatize young men, which may worsen feelings of inadequacy and isolation that may already result from unemployment. If someone actually has a problem, e.g., with gaming, stigmatization and shaming may increase the threshold to seek help.
Blaming Children and Youth is Easy
Blaming children and/or youth is not limited to this one example. We adults do it in many other areas, where in the end we are the ones responsible for the structural problems we have created.
Here are some examples. By the way, have you ever caught yourself blaming children and youth for these things?
- Social Media and Smartphones: We blame children and young people for their use of social media and addictions, but we forget that adults created these platforms for other adults and built addictive algorithms into them.
- Screen Time: We easily condemn children and young people for excessive screen time, but at the same time, us adults set a bad example by being on screens all the time.
- Decline in Learning Outcomes: The fact that learning outcomes are declining is not the children's fault. But it is easy to blame them, social media and gaming, while ignoring the fact that funding for education has been cut, class sizes increased, support for special needs children reduced, and support and further training for teachers downsized or cut completely.
- Mental Health Issues: Children and young people are often blamed for being weaker compared to previous generations because they suffer from anxiety and other mental health problems. At the same time, we live in a world full of crises caused by adults, such as wars, climate change, and economic instability. And the media spreads a negative atmosphere because negativity sells and thus further amplifies the impact on young people.
- Physical Fitness and Obesity: Blaming the younger generation for poor physical fitness and obesity does not make sense when society is built around cars. We drive children and young people to school and hobbies and live in an environment that does not encourage and even restricts physical activity.
- Dropout from Hobbies: Criticizing children and young people for dropping out of sports is flawed. The structures of hobbies are built to fulfill the desires of the adults guiding them. Many children just want to play football a couple of times a week with good friends and do not aim to become the next Beckham.
Principal's Conclusions
The root causes of these problems are often complex and deeply rooted in structural issues that policymakers (adults) have created through their actions (or inaction) and poor decisions.
For politicians, it is easier to blame visible symptoms than to address the underlying problems to please voters. Clickbait media usually echoes this narrative because negativity and blame sell better than investigative journalism that seeks and suggests solutions.
Unfortunately, this approach not only misleads the public but also prevents effective solutions.
To truly support our youth, we need to address broader structural problems and create environments where young people can thrive. As adults, recognizing our role in these issues is the first step towards meaningful change.
By shifting the narrative from blame to responsibility, we can promote a more supportive society that addresses the root causes of these challenges and offers real solutions for a better future for children and young people.
School of Gaming on its behalf tries to help parents to make the right decisions related to their children’s gaming hobby. Many children and young people feel that they should be ashamed of their love for gaming or somehow hide their interest from others. By raising awareness among parents about the positive sides of gaming as a hobby and how to deal with gaming related issues at home in a constructive and balanced manner, we aim to make gaming a positive force in families and young people’s lives.