Young people's mental distress is real, according to the head of a new review in the UK

Georgie (0:00)

From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

Neil (0:06)

In this programme, young people are not weak, says head of official review. Mental distress in young people is a real issue.

Georgie (0:19)

Hello, I'm Georgie.

Neil (0:20)

And I'm Neil.

Georgie (0:21)

In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

Neil (0:27)

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode as well as a worksheet on our website bbclearningenglish.com OK, Neil, let's hear more about this story. An independent review into mental health in the UK has found a rise in mental distress among children and young people, with anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders among the most common issues.

Georgie (0:57)

Head of the review, Professor Peter Fonagy, says that accusations that young people are too sensitive are wrong. He says it is now harder to be young due to challenges such as economic and employment uncertainty and problems caused by social media.

Neil (1:12)

Let's have our first headline.

There is no snowflake generation, it's just harder to be young now, says author of Mental Health Review. That from the independent, a UK news website.

Georgie (1:25)

And that headline again from the independent, There is no snowflake generation, it's just harder to be young now, says author of Mental Health Review.

Neil (1:34)

So, this headline quotes Professor Peter Fonagy, head of the review, who says there is no snowflake generation. And we're interested in this word snowflake here, aren't we, Georgie?

Georgie (1:46)

Yes, we are. So, snowflake is a slang word. It describes a person who is seen as overly sensitive or fragile. They might be someone who is easily offended.

Neil (1:56)

And, of course, this makes sense, doesn't it, because if you imagine a real snowflake, they are very fragile. They melt as soon as you touch them.

Georgie (2:06)

Yes. In the headline, snowflake is a modifier. A snowflake generation means a generation of snowflakes.

Neil (2:12)

This generation of young people are accused of being snowflakes because they are perceived to be more sensitive and less able to deal with stress.

But Peter Fonagy says that the accusation is wrong. His view is that young people face many challenges that make life harder.

Georgie (2:29)

Yes. Now, snowflake is a derogatory word, meaning that it's used as an insult. So be careful when calling someone a snowflake, as it can sound rude.

Neil (2:43)

We've had snowflake, a slang term to describe someone seen as too sensitive or easily offended.

Georgie (2:52)

For example, they called him a snowflake when he said he found the joke offensive.

This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. Today we're talking about findings that show a rise in mental distress among young people.

Neil (3:10)

The review into mental health, ADHD and autism concludes that about one in four 16 to 24 year olds is now struggling.

Georgie (3:19)

Some are unsure about the new data as some of the sources rely on self-reporting. There is also an argument which says that the higher mental distress numbers could be because of changing attitudes and greater awareness, so more people feel able to report their problems.

Neil (3:36)

The head of a children's mental health charity, Hope for More, has agreed with Peter Fonagy's view that young people are not snowflakes. She said that many children were struggling because of factors like the education system, social media and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Georgie (3:52)

And our next headline is about this. This one is from BBC News.

Young people have it tough, says charity boss.

Neil (4:00)

That headline again from BBC News. Young people have it tough, says charity boss.

Georgie (4:06)

So, Neil, we've heard that Peter Fonagy thinks it's harder to be young, and here in the headline it says young people have it tough. Do they have similar meanings?

Neil (4:15)

Well, yes, both convey a very similar meaning. Tough in this context means hard or difficult. If you have it tough, it means you face difficult circumstances.

Georgie (4:25)

The view that young people have it tough is because of the things we've mentioned, things like economic uncertainty and social media.

Neil (4:32)

The opposite of have it tough is have it easy, meaning you experience good life circumstances.

Georgie (4:38)

Yeah, so for example, some say teachers have it easy because they get long holidays. But they do work very hard during term time.

Neil (4:46)

Be careful though, because not all adjectives work with this structure. The most common expressions are have it tough, have it hard, have it easy, have it good and have it bad.