'People focus on Greta Thunberg's age to undermine her message', argues pscyhotherapist

12 December 2019, 10:41 | Updated: 12 December 2019, 10:43

Greta Thunberg, aged just 16, is the youngest individual to ever become TIME's Person of the Year.

Caroline Hickman, Psychotherapist at the University of Bath and Executive Committee member at the Climate Psychology Alliance, told LBC that Greta Thunberg is patronised because of her age.

She said: "It risks being incredibly patronising, you know, sort of questioning that young people are being put in front so that adults can hide behind them.

Really, you have to be grown up to face these decisions that we've got to make these tough decisions about the climate."

Hickman argued: "We are focusing on her age to undermine her message."

Nick Ferrari disagreed - and thought that her age does have an impact.

Hickman replied: "She's speaking to people as if they were children, because they're making childish decisions.

"The problem is we haven't got the leadership that we need around these things.

If young people are leading the way, why are we criticising the fact that they're young and why are we not questioning why our leaders aren't dealing with this?"

She elaborated: "Really, the biggest problem we've got here is that leadership is not stepping up and stepping into that position.

"So she is stepping into that vacuum.

We shouldn't be criticising her for that. We should be questioning why other leaders can't step into that space."