Gen ZLooking forward in anger

Covid-19 policies risk leaving psychological and socioeconomic scars on millions of young people across Europe, with far-reaching consequences for them and society, a wide-ranging Guardian project has revealed.

Teenagers and young adults expressed profound anxiety about their future and accused governments of failing them as 15 months of lockdowns destabilised their mental wellbeing, education and job prospects.

“Our whole generation has just been pushed aside as a problem to deal with later,” a 17-year-old in the north of England responded. From Germany, a 21-year-old wrote: “We are the lowest priority.” And in France, a 21-year-old said he counted himself part of “a sacrificed generation”.

Although the least likely group to become ill from coronavirus, generation Z has been hit disproportionately