“There is a whole generation that asks an algorithm for help”

Mental health, social networks, links, education, employment opportunities. UNICEF’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Benes, examines the situation of children and young people affected by persistent problems such as inequalities and gaps, as well as other more current problems such as: Hyperconnectivity and loneliness.

“Extreme individualism makes children feel alone” “There is a whole generation that asks an algorithm for help”“The adolescent must be accompanied and today the adolescent is alone”, “There is a big discrepancy between what the education system offers young people and what the job market demands of them”, “We need to promote more committed youth leaders”are a few sentences from the expert.

Benes assumed the role in March and, as regional director, is responsible for the leadership, supervision and guidance of 36 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also represents UNICEF to governments, donors, the private sector and civil society in the region. He has been with the organization for 27 years, having lived and worked in various countries and regions Child trafficking, child labor and exploitationWars, natural disasters, humanitarian crises, public policy, government protection.

-What is the current situation of childhood and youth in Latin America?

– Latin America is a region that offers incredible potential in terms of capacity, counterparts, human capital and energy of civil society, and this is reflected in young people and children. But it is also a region with very large inequalities and gaps that are slowing the recovery. There is potential in social movements and among young people, but the distribution of wealth and access to opportunities need to be improved. We want to help governments close gaps that persist or have deepened. In the region, 60% of the Sustainable Development Goals related to children have not been achieved.

-What can governments do?

-We tell governments that investing in childhood is an investment in the human capital that enables the economy to grow: every dollar we invest brings a return of $7 to $13 in economic growth, reduced health care costs, and less spending on poverty eradication. But it is not just an economic question, but also a question of social cohesion and the health of a society. Social cohesion is also strengthened when there are spaces for young people to participate. In certain countries they make up 30% of the population and they must have space, space to express their opinions, space to shape public policies. How much of public policy regarding childhood and youth is designed together with adolescents and young people?

-For example? What would be an issue that concerns young people today?

-One of the problems is the large discrepancy between what the education system offers them and the demands of the labor market. It is an important topic. How do we solve it? Well, first of all we have to try to ensure that this discrepancy can be solved with more modern educational programs, with educational programs where school and company communicate and we can adapt and adapt the programs to the needs of the company, but also give young people the opportunity to prepare for the company. The topic of internships, the progressive integration into the world of work, the use of certain technologies are essential and the school does not necessarily offer this very advanced technological knowledge. There must be an adaptation and flexibility of the education system to the world of work.

-Many young people are called “Ni-Ni” because they neither study nor work…

-Yes, those who are not in school, work or training. In Latin America it is more than 18%, i.e. almost one in five. It is a gray area, a social gray area in which we are losing young people, we are literally losing them, young people between 15 and 24 years old. This separation is very important, but there is also a problem of quality of education and learning poverty. And the data is convincing. We know that a large proportion of boys, girls and young people do not have reading comprehension skills by the age of 10. Adding to this problem is the complexity of the country, in which there are regional differences, differences in economic income, differences in the interior, in the urban and peri-urban cone of a large capital. We have to close this gap. We build societies at two, three, four, five speeds, where some part doesn’t reach the speed and we lose it.

-What does “losing a boy” mean?

-That is the fundamental question. What does it mean to lose a boy? Beyond a question of ethics and principle, the loss of a boy means that he can no longer integrate into the formal or respectable labor market and he has to have survival strategies and there is an enormous risk of entering a zone of illegality, a zone of insecurity with all that that entails. Therefore, this question, which is a political question, is extremely important. That’s why the question of closing gaps is important.

-How would involving young people help?

-We have the issue of NI-NI, the quality of education that companies and schools are talking about more and better. But the participation of young people and adolescents is essential because today there is a situation in which extreme individualism, also encouraged by the use of technology, leaves these young people feeling alone in the face of an enormous problem. And that leads to another problem, which is the issue of mental health.

-There is already research to ensure that children are the ones who seek mental health care…

-The starting point is to recognize that there is an unresolved desire, especially on this scale, a desire of young people for an answer to an existential pain, in the face of a world that is changing or in the face of a world that challenges them. An unanswered query prompts teens to search for an answer anyway, and they do this in other places too.

-What are these other rooms?

-The network. We know from many studies around the world that more and more young people are turning to artificial intelligence, Chatgpt or others to get answers to questions that adults either don’t want to answer or ask out of shame or shyness. So let’s imagine an entire generation asking an algorithm for help. Because that’s what it’s about, they’re asking for your help. We want to avoid that.

-How can it be avoided?

– Open spaces for dialogue. I understand that this space for dialogue would ideally have to be in school, and often these are complex systems that need to be made more flexible and reformed, but there is another way to do it. UNICEF works a lot with non-formal learning and community spaces. I believe strongly in the strength of community, in the strength of community organizing. And I know that these spaces often serve a lot to give self-confidence and to open up. We need a professional appearance. It’s not just about creating a space to which we give the right answer. Psychologists and mental health professionals are needed. We have to see where we can create spaces that are spaces for human interaction and how we can professionalize them, because these are very sensitive issues. We play with people’s emotional balance. This is a priority issue that needs to be addressed more quickly.

– When do tech companies and governments become responsible?

-We work a lot with governments to get the best possible answers. And there are areas where legal boundaries are fundamental, a generation is at risk of becoming addicted or using completely inappropriate content. I believe that the point of prohibition, legal limits and control of supply is fundamental and very important. And accompany the teenagers. Therefore, firstly, it is important to work with content providers and set rules and legal boundaries. I’m thinking, without a doubt, of gambling addiction, of pornography. But the most important thing is that the teenager must be accompanied. And today the teenager is alone for many reasons. So that support has to do with school, with community services, with social services. And that requires training and professionalization.

– It seems that none of this is being done ….

-The fundamental question is what it costs not to do it. The price of not doing this is to end up, in ten or twenty years, with a society in which we have left parts behind, with the risk of crime, suicide and social unrest, leading to division and a society that cannot get going. Doing this now is an investment in the future.

– Do you think big tech companies are open to this conversation?

-There is a question of shared responsibility which is fundamental. And I believe that the state is also very clear on the issue of setting the rules of the game. Just as we say a parent is responsible and co-responsible, the school is co-responsible, the government is co-responsible, the private sector is co-responsible. And you will benefit from a healthier society. The idea is to go beyond the purely economic logic of markets and profits and ensure that no social harm occurs.

-The boys seem to be connected all day, but at the same time they are very alone all the time…

-It’s complex. What we have to do is promote the group space, the space of being together, of the group, of community. And we know it’s a good answer because if there’s a problem, it’s solved much better if I’m in a group where I can share, where I have a leader, and that’s important. But today it is difficult.

-We have to address young people in the best possible way. And the best way to reach young people is for other young people to take leadership roles. This is why the topic of youth leadership is extremely important. Today, when I talk about a young person, I understand perhaps half of what he or she tells me, but if there is a youth leader in the community, in the neighborhood, in the school and he or she has the role of guide, of accompaniment, of positive message, it is a very important reference role for him or her to talk to peers. And we need to restart the mediation between young people and social services, which has been much lost. We must invest in building a community structure in which this figure of the committed youth leader is present. And that comes from civil society, from the social base. Society is changing a lot, but we have to return to these spaces.