Our teenage writer Olivia Harris has been thinking about the future of our high streets as online shopping continues to draw trade away from shops.

With many more shops moving to an online platform, is every generation losing touch with a shopping spree in our local high street?

Online clothes shopping is becoming increasingly popular among us all, making purchases easier and quicker.

Many don’t miss making a trip to the shop itself and instead resort to ordering clothes from the comfort of their own home.

However, especially for 12–18 year-olds, a shopping spree to a local high street is a social activity that we all enjoy. We are able to try clothes on, and relish in the shopping experience.

For this reason, high street retailers are still able to open their doors to the public, but for some the increase in online shopping has been detrimental.

When we buy our clothes online, we forget the huge impact that it has on those shops closest to us, and more importantly those small businesses waiting for their next customer.

Clothes at just a click of the finger may be appealing, but we should be prioritising a mix of both online and high street shopping into our routines.

The impact can not only be heard but seen in our high streets, with several boarded-up stores, and for us teenagers, the harsh reality of what the future for retail may look like.

Moving forward, will we all still love online shopping without being able to try before we buy? Or will the process of returning online items become too much to handle?