Youth Are Leading Now, Not “Someday”

Yusi Mohammed

At a recent youth summit held on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people, Senator Katherine Hay delivered a clear and urgent message:

Young people are not future leaders. They are leading today.

Too often, decisions about digital safety, artificial intelligence, and mental health are made without youth at the table. Yet young people are the first to experience both the benefits and harms of digital platforms built around algorithms they did not design and policies they were never invited to shape.

Referencing recent scrutiny of social media companies, including testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, Senator Hay questioned why platforms driven by youth engagement are not co-created with youth voices.

Her solution is simple but bold. Move beyond consultation and give young people real decision-making power.

During her time leading Kids Help Phone, rewriting governance bylaws to include youth as voting board members transformed the organization. The result was growth from 1 million to 4.5 million annual interactions and the ability to scale rapidly during COVID-19 without interruption.

The takeaway is clear.

Youth voice matters.

Youth leadership is present.

Youth deserve seats at decision-making tables.

If systems are built using young people’s data and attention, then young people must help build the systems.

The future is not waiting. It is already here, and it is youth led.