“The world is ending and we have to do something about it, but we still have to go to math.” Responsibilization and delegitimization of young people's climate action in traditional and digital media messages Responsibilization and delegitimization of young people's climate action in traditional and digital media messages

This essay explores the discursive responsibilization of young people for mitigating climate change, alongside the delegitimization of youth environmental activism as observed in both traditional and digital media. It also considers the potential consequences of such responsibilization for young people’s mental health and well-being. The analysis begins by examining the individualization of responsibility in the context of climate injustice—highlighting the unequal distribution of both the burden of mitigation and vulnerability to climate impacts across individuals, groups, and societies, shaped by intersecting identities such as age, class, race, and gender. Drawing on feminist concepts of wilfulness and 'weak resistance,' we apply these ideas to analyze discursive practices by and about young climate activists. We identify two distinct media responses to the everyday resistance and participation of young people, such as those involved in the School Strike for Climate. Brutal delegitimization (discursive violence) portrays young activists as lacking rationality, moral authority, and subjectivity, while soft delegitimization (discursive questioning) frames their actions as flawed and in need of adult guidance. Ultimately, we interpret the intersection of responsibilization and delegitimization as an oppressive double bind that shapes the affective atmosphere surrounding youth mental health. The essay concludes with a reflection on the justice and inclusivity of current conceptualizations of climate anxiety. notReviewed other