What’s worrying young people the most? Hint: it’s not exams

Teenagers are concerned that adults – those they should consider ‘responsible’ – simply aren’t doing enough about the climate emergency, writes Ed Dorrell

The young people we spoke to also expressed a sense of helplessness (Getty)

Speaking to a teacher the other day about the things that most worried her teenage students, I was quite taken aback by her response.

Of course, all the tribulations of adolescence lived through the prism of social media were a constant worry, as were exam results and revision, but she also told me that they are incredibly anxious about climate change.

So worried were her students about the impact of global warming that she and her colleagues were nervous about adding to this level of stress by going on about it in the classroom.