[tacet]

agency comes from power. i think nihilistic despair in kids comes from sense that people who actually have power (and for kids it is primary parents) have failed to solve the problem.

for grown ups, of course it is more nuanced - we know that we lack power to solve the issue or else we would have done it. instead we put hopes and expectations on our kids - that they will rise to meaningful power, where they can change things.