Children’s happiness continues to decline, annual wellbeing survey reveals

The charity's annual report, based on analysis collected from 2,100 children whose families are taking part in the long-running Understanding Society project, shows that six percent of 10- to 15-year-olds say they are unhappy with life as a whole, up from four per cent a decade ago.

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One in eight children aged 10 to 15 – more than half a million - are unhappy at school, up three per cent from 2009. And 10- to 17-year-olds cite school as their main reason for unhappiness "more than any other aspect of life’" according to a separate survey carried out by the charity earlier this year.

Their unhappiness declines with age and is “significantly lower” among children in lower income households.

The current cost-of-living crisis is having an effect on families, with 85 per cent of parents and carers surveyed saying they are “concerned” about how it will affect their families in the next year, with more than a third reporting they have “struggled” with costs of school trips and uniform over the last year.

There has also been a “a worrying jump” in the percentage of girls aged 10 to 15 who are unhappy with their appearance, rising from one in seven in 2015 to almost one in five in the latest round of surveys.

Males were significantly happier with their appearance, with 10 per cent of boys expressing dissatisfaction with how they look.

Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said that it is “desperately worrying” that children’s well-being is in this state of decline, with huge numbers unhappy with school and thousands of girls struggling with the way they look.

He added: “Right now, the negative effects of the cost-of-living crisis, the disruption of the pandemic to young people’s education, and the ongoing decline in children’s happiness are on a collision course. School is a vital setting to influence children’s well-being, but they need more support, as the reality of what’s facing children and the lack of a holistic response is a national scandal.”

He urged ministers to speed up the rollout of mental health support teams in schools and support families who are struggling to make ends meet with free school meals available to all children on Universal Credit.