Despite the frequent bad rap journalists get there are often stories we take to heart - none more so than those relating to the cost of living crisis, writes columnist Lauren Abbott.

But troubling me more than rocketing prices is the attitude from some whose childhood saw similar hardship who now view it as a rite of passage that will only do our current 'snowflake' generation a favour.

With every seismic energy bill forecast (edging up marginally in January but by a staggering 48% come April) has come a rumbling from one dark corner of the web where people claim growing up without central heating did them no harm - character building in fact.

A brief round-up of such miserable comments lurking below stories – including KentOnline's – yield advice including 'I'm sure you'll all survive with a bit of Blitz spirit', 'Winter mornings we had frost on the inside of the glass and we survived', 'We thought it was ok because it was' or, among my favourites, 'I don't think just having to put on a thicker jumper and turning the heating down a bit is too much of an issue'.

Throw in tips such as buying a cheaper mobile phone, ditching take away drinks and switching-off 'luxuries' like the WiFi and it's problem solved.

And about technology as it keeps cropping up – as someone with school-age children you can't contact teachers, read reports, organise homework, collect letters or arrange lunches without a mobile and the internet – making ditching it a non-starter for many.

Plus we're talking leaps of thousands of pounds – not a few quid supping instant coffee will save you, assuming the cost to flick the kettle doesn't outweigh the price of the soon-to-be-abandoned latte.

'Having heating or food doesn't make a generation soft, nor is it 'woke' to not want hypothermia...'

Putting aside the fact that an adult's life expectancy in 1950 was just 65 – compared to 81 today – or that the 1955 child mortality rate saw a heartbreaking 44 deaths among under fives for every 1,000 live births – rather than four in 2021 – society is at a grim stage when people actively relish other people's hardship.

I appreciate nostalgia creeps in – siblings huddled in one bed under extra blankets or tin baths by the fire with squabbles over who went first and last. But also... coughs, colds, chronic breathing issues, chilblains, endless chest infections and many other illnesses brought on by the damp that led to a lifetime of health problems. Did people thrive because as kids they could blow their breath like a dragon indoors or despite it? Statistics suggest it's the latter.

And do those who insist it's fine without central heating use it now? Not to mention that far fewer homes have fireplaces so there's no heat anywhere if they don't turn the thermostat.

We used to throw the contents of the toilet onto the street but we're not advocating doing that again – albeit people living on Kent's coast might disagree – but my point is society should move forwards not back. Shouldn't every generation want better?

I find it an increasingly odd outlook for what is an increasingly dire situation – and not just for children but for millions of elderly people too who don't require a repeat experience.

Having heating or food doesn't make a generation soft, nor is it somehow 'woke' to not want hypothermia. And we shouldn't romanticise memories that risk normalising scenarios which in today's world shouldn't exist.

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