Some of the girls were sobbing and hugging each other, while others shrieked. The majority appeared at the very least shell-shocked.

It was distress on a scale appropriate for some horrible disaster. Thankfully, however, I wasn’t in a war zone or at the scene of a pile-up - but in a school hall filled with A-level students.

What had provoked such hysteria? I’d dared express an opinion that went against their accepted way of thinking.

‘Generation Snowflake’ is a fragile, thin-skinned younger generation that can’t cope with conflicting views

‘Generation Snowflake’ is the term for these teens, one that’s now used frequently in the U.S. and becoming more common here. It describes a fragile, thin-skinned younger generation that can’t cope with conflicting views, let alone criticism.

Being faced by a roomful of weepy teenagers certainly isn’t the only example of such behaviour I could cite, but it’s the most dramatic I have experienced.

It happened when I was taking part in a debate at a North London school as director of the Institute of Ideas early last year.

The subject under discussion was footballer Ched Evans - who was then a convicted rapist and had just been released from prison (he’s since had his conviction quashed and is awaiting a retrial). His team, Sheffield United, had taken him back, and we were debating whether the subsequent furore was social justice or mob rule.

I knew many wouldn’t agree with my stance, which was that Evans had completed his sentence and should be able to return to his profession. But during the final Q&A all hell broke loose. I dared suggest (as eminent feminists have before me) that rape wasn’t necessarily the worst thing a woman could experience.

I expected robust discussion - not for them all to dissolve into outraged gasps of, ‘You can’t say that!’

Claire Fox, Director of the Institute of Ideas, said some girls started crying, sobbing and shrieking during a debate about footballer Ched Evans

Their reaction shocked me. I take no pleasure in making teenagers cry, but it also brought home the contrast to previous generations of young people, who would have relished the chance to argue back.

It illustrated this generation’s almost belligerent sense of entitlement. They assume their emotional suffering takes precedence. Express a view they disagree with and you must immediately recant and apologise.

But as I argue in my new book - I Find That Offensive! - Generation Snowflake believe it’s their right to be protected from anything they might find unpalatable.

This mindset is particularly rife in universities. The examples are beyond parody: a National Union of Students conference banning clapping as it might trigger trauma (‘please use jazz hands’, delegates were told); the Edinburgh University student threatened with expulsion from a meeting after raising her hand in disagreement.

Last year, students at the University of East Anglia banned a Mexican restaurant from giving out sombreros because of racist stereotyping.

Claire says 'Generation Snowflake' believe it’s their right to be protected from anything they might find unpalatable. Students at the University of East Anglia banned a restaurant from giving out sombreros

In March, Cambridge University banned an ‘Around The World in 80 Days’ themed party over fears wearing ethnic costumes might cause offence.

Students demand that universities are ‘safe spaces’, free from opinions that will make them feel uncomfortable. There has been a rise in ‘No platforming’ - barring someone with controversial views from speaking at an event at all.

Faced with such thin-skinned students, no wonder Oxford University has introduced ‘trigger warnings’ about ‘potentially distressing subject matter’ in law lectures on cases involving sexual violence.

Never mind that a future in criminal law will mean dealing with all the unpleasant aspects of human experience.

The list goes on. And on.

She says children are more restricted than ever when it comes to taking physical risks. There’s a campaign to stop tackling in school rugby (stock picture)

It makes me sad that these teens and 20-somethings have become so fearful that they believe a dissenting opinion can pose such a serious threat. But can we really be surprised when it’s us who have taught them to think this way? We tell children their wellbeing is paramount, but we are also guilty of mollycoddling them. There’s a constant emphasis on their vulnerability, which is proving toxic.

Children are more restricted than ever when it comes to taking physical risks - one of the ways previous generations built resilience. Thanks to health and safety mania, leapfrog, marbles and conkers are now considered unsafe.

In March, a Leeds primary school banned games of tag as children had been getting upset and having clothes torn. There’s a campaign to stop tackling in school rugby, and to assess the safety of other contact sports such as hockey.

We drill children about healthy eating, so they grow up fearing sugary drinks and told that too much salt and fat will kill them. We weigh and measure them at primary school and then wonder why they become obsessed with their bodies.

Meanwhile, the old motto ‘Sticks and stones . . .’ is now forgotten, as we teach children that words can indeed hurt them. Bullying has been redefined to include ordinary playground verbal tussles. I remember my niece telling me, aged 11, that she was being bullied at school. I feared she was being beaten up or viciously taunted. In fact, she was being ‘excluded from her friendship group’.

Claire argues that bullying has been redefined to include ordinary playground verbal tussles (stock picture)

I don’t doubt it was upsetting for her, but falling out with your chums is part of growing up. Through it you learn to handle the difficult interactions you will inevitably face as a grown-up.

Adults are encouraged to suspend their critical judgment, to listen to children without interrupting and not to label or criticise because of the impact this may have on their long-term emotional wellbeing.

As for child protection - that’s turned into an industry that encourages youngsters to see predators around every corner. Some play parks ban adults who are not accompanying a child. Parents are not allowed to take photographs of their children at swimming galas.

Teachers aren’t allowed to apply sun cream in case of inappropriate touching. There’s panic about what children might see on the web and endless concern over ‘stranger danger’.

And now there’s something new to fear. Conservative MP Maria Miller’s House of Commons women and equalities committee has launched an inquiry into sexual harassment and violence in schools. A report from the committee says: ‘In school corridors and playgrounds, sexually charged behaviour drives young people’s physical interactions.’ But a look at the ‘evidence’ suggests an expansive definition of what constitutes sexual harassment.

Is giving a compliment based on looks really ‘unsafe’ behaviour? If a boy pings a girl’s bra it may be unpleasant and annoying, but is it really assault?

She says The Reclaim The Internet campaign, launched by MPs such as Yvette Cooper and Maria Miller, only fuels stereotypes of young women as weak and fragile

An ever-widening definition of abuse can incite a culture of fear and complaint: encouraging teachers and girls to name and shame could mean labelling sexually awkward teenage boys as sex pests.

There is a danger of adults losing a sense of proportion. When I was five, we played a game where we girls wore our cardigans as capes and ran away squealing from the boys chasing us with frogs from the local pond.

No doubt today that would be dubbed a sinister sex game, and the boys certainly wouldn’t be allowed near the pond.

They assume their emotional suffering takes precedence. Express a view they disagree with and you must immediately recant and apologise

I am particularly concerned we are teaching girls to see themselves as victims. Recent research showing that fewer young people are going to nightclubs is revealing. It’s not because they can’t afford it.

Rather, women cite reasons such as the fear of encountering drunken men who may try to take advantage of them. How sad that modern women are frightened enough to associate a night out with sexual assault.

Many say they prefer to socialise on the internet. Not only is this retreat from the public sphere damaging - it’s not safe either.

The Reclaim The Internet campaign, launched last month by MPs including Maria Miller and Labour’s Yvette Cooper, focuses on the impact sexist trolling has on young women - yet it only fuels stereotypes of them as weak and fragile.

Of course, it’s not just women who embody Generation Snowflake and not every young person fits the criteria.

But there is a strand of self-absorption and fragility running through this generation; all too ready to cry ‘victim’ at the first hint of a situation they don’t like.

We need a younger generation that’s prepared to grow a backbone, go out into the world, take risks and make difficult decisions. Otherwise the future doesn’t bode well for any of us.