$20 million to support teens' digital wellbeing worldwide
Mar 11, 2026 [[read-time]] minute read
Today at our Growing Up in the Digital Age Summit in Dublin, we announced that Google.org and YouTube are partnering on a first-of-its-kind $20M strategic global initiative to address teen digital wellbeing. This funding will power a brand-new, multilingual, open-source resource center and curriculum, backed by a global Ipsos study* of more than 9,500 teens to ensure we're meeting the needs of young people, especially in the age of AI.
Dr. Garth Graham at the Growing Up in the Digital Age Summit
Data backed resources to help build digital confidence
This resource center and curriculum will equip millions of teens and their parents, caregivers, and educators with the confidence to build healthy relationships with technology. It will feature content ranging from seeking help, to preventing digital stress, to understanding how to interact with AI in healthy ways. These resources directly address the findings of a February 2026 global survey conducted by Ipsos**, where 82% of survey respondents aged 13-15 say that competence in using digital tools is an important digital wellbeing topic for them and 72% of survey respondents aged 13-15 say that they or their parents have used AI for advice and recommendations to help with their digital wellbeing.
Dr. Garth Graham at the Growing Up in the Digital Age Summit
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To reach teens where they are, we are partnering with Google.org and The Centre for Public Impact to have YouTube creators bring this message to their audiences - using the formats and language teens actually engage with. We are also bringing this curriculum to life through a global network of expert nonprofits — including Young Futures (U.S.), Plan International (APAC), and the Centre for Public Impact (Europe). These organizations will engage teen-serving nonprofits who will use these new resources and provide localized training tailored to the unique cultural needs of the communities they serve.
“Teens’ relationship with technology is drawing increasing attention, as we all grapple with how best to support them in navigating a complex digital world that shapes how they learn, connect, and participate in society. Meeting young people where they are is critical. That’s why we’re excited to support this initiative and help them build the skills to navigate online spaces safely and contribute to healthier digital communities.”
- Nick Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Public Impact
“As AI evolves faster than any of us anticipated, the urgency to support young people has never been greater, but so has the opportunity. Young people are curious, creative, and remarkably capable of shaping their own relationship with technology; they just need the right support. That's why we're proud to partner with Google.org on this initiative, which puts youth voice at the center of its design. Resources built with teens, not just for them, are the ones that actually get used, and that's what makes this collaboration so exciting. When young people are equipped with tools they helped shape, they don't just navigate the digital age, they lead in it.”
- Katya Hancock, CEO, Young Futures
“Plan International Indonesia and Plan International Asia Pacific are proud to serve as the implementing partner of the Google Asia Pacific’s Teens Digital Wellbeing Initiative in 11 ASEAN Member States, in collaboration with the ASEAN Foundation. This effort represents an important step toward building stronger, forward-looking safeguards for digital wellbeing in Southeast Asia, ensuring that adolescents are safe and empowered to learn, connect, and lead in the digital age.”
- Dini Widiastuti, Executive Director, Plan International Indonesia
*Source: Ipsos Quantitative Online Survey with 9,507 teens aged 13-17 in 36 markets: (AU, BR, CA, EU27, ID, IN, JP, KR, UK, US) - February, 2026.
**Source: Ipsos Quantitative Online Survey with 4,782 teens aged 13-15 in 36 markets: (AU, BR, CA, EU27, ID, IN, JP, KR, UK, US) - February, 2026.