Teenagers and war. How do young people feel and live during the full-scale invasion?

What can young people aged 13-19 worry about: entering university, first love, or trendy clothes? And what if these young people live in a country that has been at war for nine years?

On 29 March, the Dobrodiy Club charitable foundation presented a study supported by Plan International titled "Teenagers and their lives during the war: feelings, values, future."

"This study is a chance to see from the inside what the demand of young people for Ukrainian society is today. We see that the teenagers staying in Ukraine now are doing so quite consciously. They live this experience at the same level as adults and are ready to take responsibility for their future," says Mariia Artemenko, founder and head of the Dobrodiy Club.

Read more about the concerns of young people, how teenagers experience the war, and what helps them to distract themselves in the article.

47% of teenagers have experienced the impact of the war on their vision of their future, and for the majority (87%) it has become difficult to make plans. Although planning has become more difficult for most, almost a quarter have found something to do during the war.

86% of young people see their future in Ukraine. In particular, 70% want to study and live in Ukraine, 90% want to be useful and see the greatest benefit in the development of the economy.

During the full-scale war, 43% of respondents have already been involved in volunteering: raising funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, weaving camouflage nets, packing aid, or cooking and distributing food.

73% of the surveyed teenagers worry about the war.

What has changed in their lives?

In addition, young people also think about the lack of knowledge of Ukraine's history in society, the spread of sharovarshchyna (a stereotypical representation of Ukrainian culture — ed.), and Russian content.

"To be cool means to be conscious and not to listen to Russian pop music. Personally, I got most of my knowledge from books, and teenagers don't read books very much. I love history and believe that we should read and know it. History is the foundation of a person. We have to understand what happened before to build our future," says Ania, 17.

Music, communication, social media, and walks help teenagers the most. However, for 37% of respondents, it has become more difficult to find friends during the full-scale war.

Teenagers also identified things that help them distract from worries, negative news, and anxiety:

Part of society is used to perceiving social media as a field for entertainment with a lot of unnecessary and redundant information, and youth is the largest age category of users of these platforms. But what do teenagers actually watch on social media?

"Today, adults need to listen to teenagers because we look at life from a different angle. Just as we always learn from adults, they can learn from our generation," says Kyrylo, a 12-year-old journalist who runs his own YouTube channel Tsikavo ("Interesting"). The boy currently has about 1,800 subscribers.

The majority of teenagers consider their parents to be their support (81%) and role models (57%). This list also includes friends, the military, and volunteers.

Bloggers and artists are looked up to the least.

"I would like to see something that prompts my own reflections. So it not only provides ready-made information but also gives room for rethinking. There are not enough bloggers who talk about healthy lifestyles and sports instead of nightclubs," says Milana, 16.

There is also a lack of information about new leaders. They would like to discover the influential and conscious personalities of our time.

"I would like to learn about the new leaders of Ukraine. We have a lot of personalities who are worthy of attention, but no one talks about them," says Ania, 17.

90% of teenagers believe that they make efforts for self-realisation. What do they do? They watch and listen to lectures and learn foreign languages through games.

Lack of electricity (the survey was conducted in January 2023), laziness, unstable Internet, and lack of willpower were considered barriers to self-realisation.

62% feel that they lack knowledge because of the war, but the majority (88%) believe that education is important.

Even though the war is a key cause of anxiety, 93% of teenagers believe in themselves and their own strength and believe they are making efforts for self-realisation.

"Nowadays, teenagers are expected to achieve self-realisation at an early age. Society says that we are very active and they are proud of us, but there is another side of the coin. It's hard because to develop quickly and meet expectations, you give up a lot of things. You're not going out today because you're reading and researching something," says Ania, 17.

The teenagers do not feel that the external effects of the war block their realisation. In their opinion, it is more internal factors that hinder them.

However, the war has an impact on them as well, since for most of them it was during the full-scale invasion that it became impossible to plan their lives properly.

If young people had the opportunity to redirect their efforts, the majority would like to start earning money (43%). Teenagers also chose hobbies and additional educational courses.

"I follow American teenagers, and they always have some projects and competitions, they always win something. You look at all this and realise that despite all this, you still have a war in your country. You don't have the same opportunities as they do," says Ania, 17.