Several studies have focused on assessing the importance of urban green spaces for the ecosystem services they provide to humans and the significance of their availability near our living areas. However, little is known about how young generations perceive and use green spaces. In 2024, researchers of the Institute of Bioeconomy of CNR focused an entrepreneurship program for a group of students of Liceo Copernico in Prato, Italy, on the importance of green spaces and trained students for the development of a questionnaire to investigate teenagers’ use and perception of green spaces. The students designed the questions, which were later reviewed by the researchers. The survey focused on how often and why teenagers spend time in green spaces, which characteristics of urban green spaces they find comfortable or uncomfortable, and the benefits and challenges associated with their management. The questionnaire was distributed to all students at the school and about 260 participated. The results provide valuable insights for research and urban planning about the habits and needs of young people, as an opportunity to improve the quality of green spaces. For instance, data show that green areas often remain unvisited by younger generations and the young sample think that park care is the most important thing to improve in green areas, followed by maintenance of walkways and security and surveillance. In green spaces young people appreciate most the presence of open areas (e.g. meadows), shaded areas, accessibility at any time of the day and the presence of benches and other elements aimed at comfort.