Fluid Learning
Is Social Media the Ultimate Informal Classroom
When my son Callum, who has Asperger’s, was learning maths, we didn't rely on standard textbooks or rigid worksheets. We used the Pokémon card game. By tapping into a fluid, passion-driven system, the numbers clicked. We met him exactly where he was. That experience cemented my belief in the power of informal education, a belief that fundamentally shapes how I view the current debate around young people and the digital world.
With the government proposing a ban on under‑16s using social media, the debate often focuses on risks. But what about the benefits, for this generation and the next?
It’s easy to overlook a massive shift in how young people learn and grow. Formal education teaches how to think. Digital engagement is increasingly teaching young people how to be. When we talk about banning these spaces, we are fundamentally misunderstanding the modern landscape of informal education.
Ivan Illich, in his transformational work Deschooling Society, argued against the institutionalisation of education, suggesting that forced schooling stifles true learning. Today, the internet is providing the very learning webs Illich envisioned.
We see this reflected in the data, a recent study found that 70% of students say digital literacy helps them better understand course content, showing how much school learning now depends on digital skills.
For today’s youth, social media has become a vital informal learning space between home and school, where they develop skills our one‑size fits all curricula can’t reach. This is particularly vital for neurodivergent individuals, who often find rigid classroom environments restrictive but thrive in passion-driven, adaptable digital spaces.
Here are three critical ways this informal digital curriculum is shaping their future:
1. A Sandbox for Self‑Expression
In a world where reputation matters, the internet offers a space to experiment with identity, navigate social‑emotional complexity, and engage with diverse perspectives, long before entering the workforce. For many young people, including those with disabilities or neurodivergent traits who might feel isolated in traditional settings, these platforms offer communities of shared interest and a vital space for unmasked self-expression.
2. Self‑Directed Mastery
School is linear where the internet is fluid. Our formal curricula often demand that every student learn the same thing, at the same time, in the same way. The digital world allows learning to be driven by specific interests. A 14‑year‑old building a TikTok channel with 50k followers learns branding, performance metrics, and audience engagement, skills rarely taught in school. They are learning complex, modern disciplines simply by following their curiosity.
3. From Consumers to Creators
The narrative that young people are mindlessly addicted to screens is reductive. This isn’t just scrolling. This is young people moving from consumers of technology to owners and creators, synthesising information, critiquing sources, and building digital portfolios. Translating skills into careers.
Bridging the Gap
We need to accept that formal education teaches the rules of the game. Social media is where this generation is learning to play it.
Instead of measuring only screen time, maybe we should start measuring skill time. The question shouldn't be about banning young people from social media, it should be asking how to help them bridge the gap between formal studies and digital lives. Let's stop trying to force learning back into a 20th-century box, and start supporting the incredible, informal education happening right in front of us.
