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The Pressure to Connect: Tackling Digital Stress and Addiction

2025-3-ES02-KA153-YOU-0003690262025Mobility of youth workersongoing
Countries: ES|HU|EL|TR|RO|PL · Grant: €20,637
Physical and mental health, well-beingDigital skills and competencesDigital safety

Objectives

In an age where a young person's phone is their primary gateway to the world, a new and urgent challenge has emerged for youth work across Europe: the growing crisis of digital addiction and online stress. Our project aims to confront the reality that modern digital platforms are often designed with psychological hooks that can lead to compulsive use, anxiety, and a significant decline in mental wellbeing. We see this trend across our partner countries: from Spain and Greece, where the pressure for online social validation is immense, to Hungary and Romania, where near-universal access to technology often outpaces the development of critical self-regulation skills. We witness it in Türkiye's huge, digitally native youth population, and in Poland, where young people are facing the very same pressures. Our youth workers are on the front lines of this issue, but often lack the specialized training to move beyond simple advice like "reduce screen time." This project is our direct, practical response, designed to equip them with the knowledge and tools to effectively address these modern challenges. From the perspective of youth work practice, we want to achieve the following: -To equip youth workers with a clear and practical understanding of the mechanisms behind digital addiction and online stress. We want them to be able to explain to a young person why their phone feels so compelling, giving them the foundational knowledge to have more meaningful and less judgmental conversations. -To build a practical repertoire of innovative, non-formal methodologies. Our goal is to ensure every youth worker leaves with a set of ready-to-use activities they can immediately implement. This includes learning how to facilitate workshops on digital boundaries, lead mindfulness exercises to combat online stress, and guide ethical debates on new technologies. -To shift the practice of youth work from a reactive, risk-focused approach to a proactive and empowering one. We want to change the role of the youth worker from that of a "digital police officer" to a "digital guide." This means empowering them with tools that help young people design their own healthy habits and become conscious, critical, and creative digital citizens. -To build a supportive international community of practice. We aim to create a lasting network where our youth workers can continue to share challenges, exchange effective strategies, and support one another in their daily work long after the project ends, ensuring the quality of their practice continues to evolve.

Project partners (6)