The First Third is a new think tank by, and for, the generation growing up now.
The First Third came about as the response to two different generational perspectives on the world. Joe’s anger and bewilderment as he saw young people so causally ‘“fed to the wolves”of social media and vape companies while governments seemed too powerless or captured by business to stand up for them and Hilary’s frustration that her 30 years of activism alongside so many others on responsible business and innovation has had so little impact on business and particularly the design and introduction of AI.
Its initial focus is a response to our joint 3 year research programme illustrating the process and impact of the Addiction Economy - 10 business sectors whose business model is to ‘undermine our ability to control our use of their products beyond the point at which it harms us’ - mirroring the NHS definition of addiction. It is now shaping the brains and lives of young people in particular from babyhood onwards and is doing real harm, often in quiet and insidious ways which go unrecorded.
At the same time, the places where young people could connect and just hang out with each other - youth centres, libraries, arts venues - have been systematically gutted. Real human connection, intergenerational and with peers, provides the neurological counterweight to addictive products that young people need most to thrive. This enjoyment through connection is also what time and again they say they most want.
We work on three questions: what stands between young people and the lives they want to live; who put it there - and how do we get it out of our way?
Our work
Of course plenty stands in the way of many; school, money, luck. We start with the obstacles that create disconnection. Things which were created to undermine their agency, marketed as helping, but often make things worse and put within reach at every moment that matters. We then explore how real connection builds agency and joy and find ways to catalyse them to create connection around them.
We will do this in three ways:
Producing original, independent research that examines how the commercial environment affects children and young people's development, wellbeing, and life outcomes, while learning from them in the process, amplifying their voices, and ensuring their perspectives shape the research, its outputs, and its outcomes.
Delivering, encouraging and motivate peer-to-peer learning co-create with young people the space they want and need to understand these impacts and create empowering responses for themselves. Our research shows how blame and ineffective ‘Just Say No’ approaches are entrenched in media, education and social discourse resulting in further anxiety and self-blame; young people feel this unfairness and want to help each other too, peer-to-peer, with humour and support.
Developing a ‘Connection Incubator’ we ask: if the addiction economy were out of your way, what would you do? The Connection Incubator funds the answers — flexible grants for young people to build what they think is missing, to catalyse the joy, resilience and learning which only comes from personal connection.
If you would be interesting in funding our work, or would like to know more, contact Joe Woof on joe@thefirstthird.org
To know more about The Addiction Economy and The Connection Economy see our microsite www.theaddictioneconomy.com, a synopsis of our forthcoming book is here To know more about SocietyInside who initiated and funded this research go to www.societyinside.com