There is this trend on the left that is most prevalent on reddit of abusing words like this. Other examples include media literacy, empathy (a recent one), unpack, educate yourself, etc. You spot this in progressive academia too: structural, systemic, harmful, etc. I've kept a mental list of them over the years as I encounter them.
They're normal words (usually) people use everyday, but they're filtered through a sort of in-group understanding. They're like a weird mix of doublespeak, shibboleth, and weasel words - I suppose they would call it a dog whistle. It's a metalanguage for shifting discussion of what someone said to who that someone is or they're outright obscurantism designed to make the speaker seem erudite or impressive.
The words critical thinking here are not actually being used in their usual sense; think carefully. They're using it to essentially signal that they've absorbed the orthodoxy, reinforce the group image as intelligent and convey that the out group lacks a legitimate position. However the moment you do try to engage in critical discussion with them you're met with hostility for even questioning their orthodoxy or for introducing heterodox views, their supposed 'critical' demeanor will shift to a quarreling and argumentative attitude, typically followed by more shibboleths like educate yourself.
Bit of an unprompted ramble about something most people here are probably aware of, but it's worth noting if you've never recognized this phenomenon before. The amount of dogma within progressive schools of thought dressed in precise, scientific or objective sounding language is so immense it's basically a sort of secular mysticism.