Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is an increasingly common and aggressive condition associated with early complications and poorer long-term outcomes than adult-onset disease. Early recognition and comprehensive, multidisciplinary management are essential to improving lifelong health outcomes.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people experience the highest rates of youth-onset type 2 diabetes worldwide. Intergenerational risk and inequity drive the burden, highlighting the need for culturally safe, strengths-based and community-led care.

Pharmacotherapy should complement lifestyle modification and be tailored to the young person's clinical presentation, comorbidities, treatment goals and preferences. This review outlines the evolving treatment options for youth-onset type 2 diabetes to support individualised care.

Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is a rapidly progressive condition with earlier complications and poorer outcomes than adult-onset disease, yet evidence and guidance for digital health technologies remain limited. Continuous glucose monitoring, wearable devices and telehealth may support engagement and care, but raise important clinical and policy challenges in this population.

Adolescent obesity is increasingly recognised as a chronic disease requiring longitudinal management rather than short-term weight loss. Early identification of comorbidities and a stepped-care approach can help GPs support sustainable improvements in health.