Freire’s theory of social change informs analysis of youth-focused participatory research, with researchers describing links between participation and young people’s critical thinking. There is less analysis of how youth move from the safe social space of a participatory research project to take health-promoting action in difficult real-world contexts. This article analyses a project conducted with Papua New Guinean youth, disrupting assumptions that critical thinking inevitably leads to critical action on health. Findings suggest the need to shift the focus of participatory research from supporting ‘safe social spaces’ to supporting ‘transformative action in context’ to concretely contribute to improving youth health.