I’m sick of hearing young people blamed for spreading coronavirus – they’re the ones who will pull us out of this crisis

At the beginning of April, cabinet secretary Michael Gove spoke of “evidence to suggest” a low level of compliance to the UK lockdown among some young people. He blamed government messaging for not reaching them through the correct channels, and complacency on the part of young people who may feel less likely to be affected and infected.

Gove’s words echo the view of young people I’ve heard consistently, particularly from the press, since the pandemic kicked off: that young people are ignoring social distancing measures, sitting in parks and having group barbecues, and generally ignoring the government’s instructions.

I find this deeply disheartening. It’s a dangerous portrayal of swathes of our population.

While it’s true that the devastating health impacts are disproportionally hitting those over the age of 65 (accounting for 87 per cent of coronavirus deaths so far), it is the younger generation – and particularly those from communities facing additional social and economic barriers – who are impacted much more heavily from the economic effects of lockdown. Workers under the age of 35 are significantly more likely to have been made unemployed than older colleagues, due in part to the industries they work in as well as their experience in the job market. Workers aged under 25 are about two and a half times as likely to work in a sector forced to suspend trade, including hospitality, events and travel. Youth unemployment is now predicted to hit one million in the next year.

This is a generation already worse off in their thirties than their parents were at their age. Around one in six people born in the 1950s now owns a second home or buy-to-let property, while younger generation struggle to get on the housing ladder at all. This is coupled with rising university debt and future financial uncertainty from Brexit, a political move which young voters overwhelmingly rejected.

Growing levels of misinformation online, in particular around their own behaviour, has caused frustration and anxiety for young people already concerned about their futures, particularly as the UK enters a potential deep and long economic recession.

My organisation is running an interactive weekly discussion with thousands of young people, called the “Quarantine Question Time”. Through this outlet we have found the lockdown period has had a negative impact on young people’s mental health, as a significant percentage of them have insecure jobs or are worst hit by the furlough scheme. A quarter of young people are more worried about the economic crisis created by Covid-19 than any other issue right now. Yet the responsibility of restarting the economy will be on the shoulders of young people, especially if we eventually opt to allow those aged between 20 and 30 out of lockdown first.

Anecdotally, the young people I’ve seen are making a significant contribution to grassroots initiatives within their communities – working on the front line to help out vulnerable community members, delivering food, running errands and organising neighbourhoods. Instead of lambasting the minority of young people tempted out into the sun, we need to start exploring how best to support them during this period of financial uncertainty, look for ways to ensure they do not become mired in endless debt, and prevent further job losses.

We also need to hear more young people talking openly and honestly about their experiences, so that these are taken just as seriously as those affecting other ages. There is a real sense of neglect and young voices not being heard during the quarantine, and this needs to change now.

There are people responding. Only this week the Youth Employment Group was created in collaboration with a number of partners, including IES and the Prince’s Trust, to try and counter the immediate and longer-term employment impacts from coronavirus. However, we need to ensure that young people have the information they need, policies in place and the tools available to arm themselves through this crisis.

It’s time to change the tune and recognise that young people are the ones leading us out of this crisis, not exacerbating it.

Mete Coban is CEO of My Life My Say