In 2013, Time magazine ran a cover story entitled Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation, and if you Google “millennials”, you will come across several negative articles citing their failings. The American sociologist Kathleen Shaputis labelled them the Peter Pan generation because of their tendency to delay rites of passage into adulthood, including putting off moving out of the parental home. This tardy transition into adulthood has led to the creation of a new life stage – Emerging Adulthood.

The stereotype of a millennial is a young adult, aged 18-34. They are depicted as entitled, narcissistic and lazy, sponging off their parents while procrastinating about what to do with their lives; their favourite occupation is documenting every detail of their days in a series of selfies; if they do indulge in a little light “adulting”, say microwaving their own supper, then this too will be recorded and posted.

They give up on jobs and relationships at the first hint of difficulty, because these are the kids who have come to expect instant gratification – after all, they were given medals just for “taking part” in school sports. Without the technology and social media that rule their lives, they become disoriented and depressed.

My own millennial children tick several boxes. They know their way around a Vine, and, despite graduating with BAs and MAs, they are not in full-time employment. None of them has moved out of their childhood bedrooms. But here is the difference – my offspring are not entitled, narcissistic or lazy – they are angry. They are furious about their dismal prospects for getting on the property ladder, but most of all, they are furious about the state of the world: global warming, plastic floating in the oceans, fracking, the destruction of the rainforests, pollution, and the evils of factory farming.

Wanting to do something about it, they have become vegans. Lily sometimes spends Friday evenings in Leicester Square showing horrified passersby videos of the true face of factory farming. They all demonstrate on behalf of environmental issues. Jake works for Fuel Poverty Action and a charity committed to fighting fracking. None of them take selfies.

What I find shocking is that none of my children plans to procreate. ‘It’s not a morally right decision,’ Jake says

When I was in my 20s, I didn’t give the environment a thought. I was part of the generation that wreaked havoc on the world through ignorance. As an ambitious twentysomething in the Thatcher years, I ate meat without considering where it had come from or what its production was doing to the Earth; I threw away all my packaging without recycling, drank from plastic cups, and went on long-haul flights without worrying about my giant carbon footsteps.

Like many other millennials, my children are ever alert for discrimination and injustice on every level: human, political, environmental and animal. They buy only ethically sourced products made for a fair wage. They don’t buy wool or leather or silk. They don’t eat avocados or cashews. They avoid flying and don’t own cars. I approve of all of this, but what I find shocking is that none of them plans to procreate. “It’s not a morally right decision,” Jake says. “I couldn’t bring a baby into a world that’s so fucked up.”

They agree they would adopt, but not have their own biological baby. For the part of me that was looking forward to being a grandmother, this is a blow. Of course, there is still time for them to change their minds. And as my partner, Ed, reminds me, first they need to get on the career and property ladder. But it saddens me that my children have so little hope for the future. When they had nightmares as small children, I could console them. There are no comforting words to make global warming go away.

These are not the unmotivated millennials the press love to hate, or the clueless kidults that society loves to poke fun at. In fact, sometimes it feels as though I am the child and they are the adults: burdened with worry and convinced that it is already too late to put right the damage done to the planet they have inherited.

Some names have been changed