The Role of The Family Home and Digital Interactions in The Bedroom for “Hidden Youth"

Wong, M. (2019) The Role of The Family Home and Digital Interactions in The Bedroom for “Hidden Youth". Journal of Youth Studies Conference: Youth Studies and the Challenges of Late Capitalism in a Globalised World, Newcastle, Australia, 02-04 Dec 2019.

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Abstract

As part of the ‘Re-positioning the Family Home as Resource for and Response of Young People Living in Precarity’ panel, this paper present a qualitative study on young people who physically shut themselves in the bedroom in the family home for months and years on end. This emerging phenomenon is commonly referred to as “hidden youth” in East Asia. Hidden youth are typically assumed as “withdrawing” from society and living in isolation. This paper challenges this reclusive depiction and critically examines hidden youth’s sociality based on their lived experiences. This paper presents insights from the first study of this phenomenon in the UK/Scottish context, while studying this comparatively across Hong Kong and Scotland. The study highlights the role of the family home in this context and argues young people could become “hidden” in the family home and rely on online social networks as a response to experiences of marginalisation and increased precarity of work. This paper argues that young people could become especially attached to digital networks inside the space of their family home and bedroom augmented by technologies. The significance and experiences inside the family home, especially for socially marginalised youth, are critically discussed in this study.

Item Type:Conference or Workshop Item
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Wong, Dr Mark
Authors: Wong, M.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
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