Born connected: How Gen Z navigate their digital lives

The Nuffield Foundation commissioned specialist social research agency Hopkins Van Mil (HVM) to carry out a set of deep dive workshops (DDWs) exploring the journey of young people on the topics of education to work, digital lives, and mental health and wellbeing. In parallel, HVM were also asked by the Nuffield Foundation to convene a Youth Insight Group (YIG), made up of twenty 14-24 year olds from across the four nations. YIG members helped to shape the content and format of the workshops, and reflected on the findings. These intersecting projects are part of the Nuffield Foundation’s Grown Up? Journeys to adulthood programme. The report on the education to work DDWs was published by the Nuffield Foundation in May 2025. This report shares the findings from the second DDWs on digital lives.

Illustrations drawn by members of our Youth Insight Group