The disengagement of young people from politics continues to be a major challenge for democracies in Europe and beyond. Although the European Commission and national governments have made multiple efforts to mitigate this problem, young people are increasingly detached from traditional forms of politics, such as political party and trade union membership, and voting. However, this does not mean that young people are indifferent to what policymakers do and decide. The recent mobilizations for the future of the environment through the Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion movements and other forms of protest clearly show that young people want to play an active part of change in their communities.

Our contribution focuses on the youth’s attitudes toward democracy and the possibilities of e-democracy to strengthen democratic participation. Based on a review of successful e-participation platforms, we identify examples of best practices in this field. We also investigate supply and demand side factors regarding youth e-democracy initiatives by conducting interviews with local policymakers and a survey among young people in three European cities, i.e., Krakow (Poland), Leiden (Netherlands), and Trieste (Italy). Our results demonstrate that young people are eager to get involved politically when provided with tools targeted to them. E-democracy platforms thus hold considerable potential to promote democratic participation among young people.