As much as online youth work can be practical, just like every kind of work, it has shortcomings and disadvantages.
Some challenges that are more noticeable than others when it comes to digital youth work are digital overload or burnout because of oversaturation of screens, Zoom fatigue, consequential lack of concentration, and general tiredness.
Many participants have voiced their issues regarding lack of privacy or having a private space available for online meetings such as over Zoom. Again, others have faced the challenges of not having a stable internet connection and other technical difficulties like lack of appropriate equipment. One issue is that the digital skills generally taught at schools are obsolete because most young people already know them (Word, Powerpoint,…), so new interfaces and tools should be used.
At the same time, it was observed that keeping up with all the upgrades, updates, and developments digitally is impossible and also takes a toll on (young) people.
The worst challenges noticed were in the workshops when they had to deal with emotion during COVID-19 and restrictive measures because emotions are so difficult to convey through a screen. Sometimes, even when the young person would muster up the courage to say what was on their mind, they were disconnected or not heard properly, etc. Another disadvantage of online youth work is the lack of socializing during breaks, which prolongs the group development.
What was also noticed as a result of so much interaction over Zoom is developing an obsession with our appearance because we are not used to looking at ourselves so much naturally.
Another important concern is GDPR and other law challenges. Things can quickly take a turn if not everything is “by the book”.
One of the challenges faced was the different time zones of participants and adapting to everyone’s schedule as a consequence. As much as online work is convenient, as we have seen, it can also have shortcomings.