Youths' Digital Participation in the Early Phases of COVID-19 Lockdown

On 18 March 2020 the Finnish Government declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19 causing public services to limit their capacity or to close completely. Well-founded concerns have been raised on how the restrictions affect young people's well-being and their possibilities to get support. Youths use digital technologies in their everyday lives, and it can be assumed that the usage has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can also be a benefit when coping with the situation. This paper explores young people's subjective experiences regarding digital services, digital societal participation, and social interactions in the early phases of COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the youths' backgrounds in relation to their utilisation of digital technologies and services are examined. A mixed-method survey including closed-ended and open-ended questions was conducted in spring 2020. The sample included 49 young Finnish people aged 15-26. Results suggest that digitality supports youths in their activities, such as work and school, societal participation, and social interactions. Also, problems, such as inadequate ICT skills and technical issues were identified. Furthermore, the ICT-savvy youths seem to benefit highly from digitality in comparison to their less ICT-savvy peers. This paper contributes to the discussions of digital divides, equal access to societal participation, and the activities that may support youths' coping in similar future lockdown situations.