Youth and Politics: The Generation That Can’t Afford to Stay Silent

Politics is often described as a game played by politicians. But perhaps the biggest mistake young people can make is believing that politics has nothing to do with them.

It does.

The price of education, availability of jobs, quality of public transport, climate policy, digital privacy, healthcare, inflation, social equality and even the opportunities available in a particular city or village are all connected, directly or indirectly, to political decisions.

And in a country as young as India, the relationship between youth and politics matters enormously.

According to UNFPA, India has more than 382 million people aged 10–24, making its young population one of the country's greatest opportunities for the future.

The question is not whether young people should care about politics.

The question is: What kind of political citizens will they become?

From spectators to participants

For years, political participation was often associated with rallies, party offices, election campaigns and voting booths.

Young people have expanded that definition.

Today, political conversations happen in classrooms, cafés, online communities and social media feeds. A student discussing unemployment, a young entrepreneur talking about taxation, or a group of friends debating education policy are all engaging with public issues.

But participation should go beyond expressing an opinion.

Democracy requires people to listen, question, verify information and participate responsibly.

The Election Commission of India reported that voters aged 18–29 constituted 22.78% of India's electors as of May 20, 2024.

That is a powerful reminder: young voters are not simply the "future" of democracy. They are part of its present.

The social-media generation has a new political responsibility

There has never been a generation with such immediate access to information.

A phone can bring parliamentary debates, election speeches, policy announcements and political commentary into someone's hands within seconds.

But access to information is not the same as access to truth.

Young citizens face another challenge: misinformation.

A dramatic video can spread faster than a carefully researched report. A political claim can be repeated thousands of times before anyone asks whether it is accurate.

This makes digital literacy a civic skill.

Before sharing political content, young people should ask:

• Who created this information?

• What evidence supports the claim?

• Is the information current?

• Is an important part of the story missing?

• Am I reacting to facts—or simply to something designed to make me angry?

Being politically active does not mean believing everything that confirms our existing views.

Sometimes, the most democratic thing we can do is change our mind when better evidence appears.

Youth politics should be about issues, not just identities

Young people naturally care about belonging. Political movements often draw strength from identity, community and shared experiences.

But political participation becomes more meaningful when young citizens also ask practical questions.

What is the plan for employment?

How will education improve?

How will cities become more liveable?

What happens to rural youth?

How can women participate equally in the economy and public life?

How should technology and artificial intelligence be governed?

What can be done about climate change?

These questions move political conversation from personalities to policies.

They also encourage citizens to evaluate public decisions based on evidence rather than simply supporting or opposing individuals.

Politics needs young voices—but young voices also need knowledge

It is tempting to believe that youth automatically understand the future better than older generations.

They don't.

Young people bring energy, new experiences and new perspectives. Older generations bring experience and historical memory.

A healthy democracy needs both.

The goal should not be to replace one generation with another. It should be to create a political culture in which different generations can challenge one another respectfully and learn from one another.

The United Nations has also highlighted that many young people around the world feel excluded from meaningful political participation and have called for greater opportunities to participate in policymaking and decision-making.

That means youth participation should not be reduced to asking young people to vote once every few years.

Young citizens should have opportunities to understand public institutions, discuss policy, volunteer in their communities and contribute to civic decision-making.

Voting matters—but citizenship is bigger than voting

Voting is one of the most visible forms of political participation, but it isn't the only one.

A young citizen can participate by:

Learning. Understanding how government actually works.

Questioning. Asking elected representatives for explanations and accountability.

Volunteering. Working on issues within the community.

Discussing. Having political conversations without turning every disagreement into a personal attack.

Fact-checking. Refusing to become a distributor of misinformation.

Voting. Making an informed choice when elections arrive.

Listening. Understanding why people with different experiences may reach different political conclusions.

The Election Commission itself has emphasised youth engagement, including collaboration with educational institutions and youth organisations to increase electoral awareness and registration among young voters.

The danger of political apathy

"I don't care about politics."

It sounds like a neutral position.

But politics does not necessarily stop affecting us because we stop paying attention to it.

Policies continue to influence our education, employment, environment, public services and economic opportunities.

Apathy can therefore leave decisions about our lives to people who are more willing to participate.

The answer, however, is not to tell every young person what political position to adopt.

It is to encourage young people to think for themselves.

Democracy does not need millions of identical opinions.

It needs millions of citizens capable of forming opinions independently.

A generation with enormous potential

India's young population represents an extraordinary opportunity, but demographics alone cannot create progress.

UNFPA has described young people as central to India's demographic opportunity, while also pointing to the importance of education, decent employment, healthcare, gender equality and social protection in enabling young people to realise their potential.

This is where youth and politics meet.

Young people need political systems that listen to them.

Political systems need young people who are informed enough to question them.

That relationship should not be based on blind loyalty.

It should be based on participation and accountability.

The future is not waiting for us

There is a familiar phrase: "Young people are the future."

It sounds inspiring, but it is incomplete.

Young people are not only the future.

They are voters, students, workers, entrepreneurs, volunteers, creators, community members and citizens today.

Their political choices will influence the direction of their communities and country.

So perhaps the real challenge for today's youth is not to become more political in the loudest sense.

It is to become more informed, curious, critical and constructive.

Ask questions.

Read beyond headlines.

Listen to people you disagree with.

Check before you share.

Look at policies, not just personalities.

And most importantly, remember that democracy is not something that happens to citizens.

Democracy is something citizens participate in building.

The generation holding the smartphone today may also be the generation shaping the society of tomorrow.

The question is not whether young people have a voice.

They already do.

The question is what they choose to do with it.