Digitisation of Youth Work and an Evaluation of Social Media as a Tool in Meeting the Profession's Core Principles in a UK Context

Abstract

While some commentators have rightly questioned characterisations of the 20th century as the ‘Century of the child,' sociologists have gone as far as claim a more accurate title would be that of the ‘Century of child neglect.‘ In this respect, numerous provisions from the late Victorian period onward, many enacted through legislation, within the fields of social care, youth justice, education, and welfare all help to characterise the immense strides made in drawing the care and interests of children and young people more centrally into the focus and attention of policymakers and society more widely. These developments build on positivistic ideas of societal causation: that the structure of society, and in particular inequality, neglect and oppression, were contributory factors in the behaviours and vulnerabilities that people express and experience, and social welfare responses needed to aim to ameliorate such structural impositions. This chapter considers how digital technologies, specifically within the form of social media, figures as a form of youth engagement and outreach.