Dynamic Teen Coalition · Youth-led Think Tank

Young people shaping what comes next.

A youth-led nonprofit think tank turning lived experience into research, public conversation, and practical change across policy work and public-interest issues. At the table, not just on the agenda.

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DTC members at the United Nations flag row in New York

At DTC Youth Policy Lab, young people do more than lend their voices: they lead the questions, the research, and the work that follows.

About Us

Roll Call

Years of being in the room.

A record of where teenagers showed up in global policy and governance processes, and what happened when they did.

  1. 2022

    Internet Governance Forum

    Kyoto

    Invited by the UN IGF Secretariat to establish the Dynamic Teen Coalition, the first teen-led coalition at the Internet Governance Forum.

  2. ’23–’24

    UN advocacy & the first database

    UN events · worldwide

    Returned to UN events year after year, challenging blanket social-media bans and building the first systematic global database of teen online restrictions.

  3. 2025

    IGF Oslo: IGF 2025

    Norway

    Questioned the Australian government on their position on the impact of teen bans on marginalised youth, the exchange that became our paper.

  4. 2025

    ECOSOC YF · HLPF · WSIS+20 · UNGA · IYC

    via UN MGCY

    Beyond the IGF, DTC engaged UN-adjacent processes through the UN Major Group for Children & Youth: delegations, oral interventions, and side events.

  5. 2026

    Youth Policy Lab

    USA-based · international and remote

    DTC evolves into a USA-based, remote-first youth-led nonprofit think tank, turning years of youth participation into rigorous, sourced research.

Our Global Impact

Looking out over the UN grounds and New York skyline from inside the United Nations
DTC members meeting a UN official at United Nations Headquarters
The laws that govern our online lives are written without us. It's time teens stopped being the subject of the research and became the researchers.

Dynamic Teen Coalition

Youth Policy Lab

Our Mission

42

Countries with teen bans or restrictions

Restriction Database

6

UN & UN-adjacent forums engaged in 2025

UN Engagement

100%

Teen-Led

By youth, for youth

The Global Teen Restriction Database maps every social-media ban and blanket restriction affecting teens, country by country, each entry sourced, so policy can reflect the actual experiences of youth.

Explore the database

Frequently Asked
Questions

DTC Youth Policy Lab is a youth-led nonprofit think tank. Young people lead research, public-interest projects, and policy work across the issues that shape their lives, from rights and governance to digital systems and public conversation.

Any passionate young person interested in research, public-interest work, civic life, or advocacy can apply to join our community. We welcome members from diverse backgrounds and locations globally.

Our research process is highly collaborative. Young researchers identify pressing issues, conduct qualitative and quantitative studies, investigate existing evidence, and produce work that can inform communities, institutions, and public debate.

No prior formal research experience is required! We value curiosity, dedication, and a willingness to learn. Experienced members and mentors will guide you through the research methodologies we employ.

We share our findings with communities, journalists, researchers, institutions, and policymakers. Our projects turn young people's perspectives and evidence into resources that help others understand problems and act on them.