More than half of parents and nearly two-thirds of grandparents believe life is more difficult and stressful now than when they were children, citing money issues, house prices, the climate crisis and emotional anxiety linked to school and social media, according to the charity Action for Children.
Mental illness continued to register as a major worry for children, with 42% believing their own mental health to be an issue, compared with 29% when the question was asked in the previous Action for Children childhood survey in 2019.
In 2019, 17% of parents and 9% of grandparents recognised mental health as a concern. By 2021 this had increased to 45% of parents and 30% of grandparents.
A third of children believe their parents enjoyed a better childhood than theirs. Many cite increasing worries around mental health, school stress and family finances, with those from poorer backgrounds much more likely to be pessimistic.
38% of children from low-income households (up to £20,000 a year) were more likely to say their childhoods were worse, this fell to 26% of children from households with an income of £70,000 or more. Similarly, 64% of poorer parents thought children’s lives were worse, compared with 48% from richer households.
Half of the children from low-income households are worried about family finances, for example, compared with 14% of children from wealthier families. Children from poorer families are far less confident they will get the job they want, and twice as likely to believe they will not get to university.
Childhoods have got worse in Britain, survey reveals | Children | The Guardian
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