Contrary to most pre-election polls, the two major parties received a similar share of the vote. The big talking point is whether a surge in young voters was partly responsible.
According to Ipsos Mori, turnout among 16- to 24-year-olds surged to around 64 per cent, a significant rise on the 2015 general election.
Divisions within our society have hung heavily over the election campaign - in the young person's TV debate before the election, many were shaken by the terror attacks in Manchester and London. They asked not just how we could improve security, but how we could heal the rifts between individuals and communities at risk of being exacerbated by the attacks.
This starts with a political system that values younger people. The members of our youth engagement programme, Young NCB, have repeatedly asked why the government doesn't introduce votes at 16 or whether a Department of Youth Affairs - with greater powers to work across health, work and education - would result in a government that better represents the needs of young citizens.
Making our society work for all young people means getting serious about helping the most vulnerable and challenging inequalities. This should begin with recognition that how a child does at school and their long-term wellbeing is largely determined by their background. Living in poverty, in an unstable family environment, at risk of neglect or abuse will affect a child's early development, and consequently their chance of doing well when they grow up.
Politicians must also see through commitments on mental health, with a green paper that takes into account the findings from the wide-ranging Future in Mind report published under the coalition government. The reforms to special educational needs support that are still being rolled out across the country must be protected, with greater recognition of the relationship between inadequate support for children with special educational needs and poor mental health.
There is also an urgent need to address the widening funding gap for children's social care, which is leaving many children's services unable to give vulnerable children the right support, at the right time, for as long as they need it.
To turn this around requires political leaders who will stand up for children's rights. Edward Timpson, the last children's minister, showed an impressive commitment to improving the lives of disabled children and those in care. New children's minister Robert Goodwill MP must take this legacy forward.
If research confirms that young voters are engaging more with politics, we must all listen and respond to their needs. They trusted the democratic process; let's not let them down.
Anna Feuchtwang is chief executive at National Children's Bureau
