Thousands of university students in York and Bristol have been told not to call middle aged people, ‘middle aged’ or old age pensionerss ‘OAPs’ because… it’s offensive and can be harmful.

York St. John and Bristol have suggested that its undergraduates avoid referring to age to prevent offending the elderly and people in their 40s, 50’s and beyond.

The Mail Online reports: the University of Bristol has urged its 30,000 students to get rid of all ‘labels’ – including Baby Boomer and Gen X – due to the ‘negative stereotypes’ they ‘reinforce’.

According to a report by The Sun, York St. John said the guidelines were just ‘recommendations’.

‘We are not banning words and support freedom of speech,’ it said.

MailOnline has contacted the University of Bristol and York St. John for comment.

In 2022, university and college staff were told to stop calling older people ‘OAPs’ and ‘pensioners’ for fear of being ‘ageist’.

Officials at institutions including the University of Manchester ordered staff to call over-60s ‘mature individuals’, ‘older people’ or simply ‘learners’.

The demand came as part of the latest raft of ‘inclusive language’ rolled out to education establishments that also warned people not to use terms like ‘diabetic’ or ‘blind’.