The article analyzes the problem of the functioning of social lifts as institutional opportunities for political participation for the younger generation. From the standpoint of the theory of social mobility, the institutes of political involvement of youth are considered, the effectiveness of such channels of trial political participation for the younger generation as political parties, youth parliaments, public chambers, and understudy governments is evaluated. The results of an empirical study of the political participation of the younger generation in the Ural Federal District are presented. Based on the results of a statistical analysis of youth representation in government bodies, it was concluded that the most accessible institution of power for young politicians are local parliaments. The positions of representatives in the federal chambers of parliament remain completely or almost inaccessible for youth participation. Executive authorities at both the local and regional levels are inaccessible for career advancement. Based on the results of in-depth interviews with experts (N = 22), conducted in 6 regions of the Ural Federal District, the main problems of the effectiveness of social lifts for the political participation of youth were identified. In fact, the experts noted the effectiveness of only political parties as a really functioning institution of political participation of youth. Trial channels of engagement were assessed as either ineffective or imitative. Also, the state youth policy received a low rating from experts in terms of the formation of political skills of young people and the effectiveness of the accessibility of youth representation in power. As measures aimed at solving this problem, the authors propose the use of modern information and communication technologies in the institutions of political socialization, which make it possible to form the skills necessary in the future, as well as to simplify the work on interaction with other subjects of public administration.