Research from the Children’s Society has found that England is the second worst nation for child happiness, only pipped to the top spot by South Korea.
A team of researchers from the University of York carried out the study, quizzing kids from 15 countries around the world including Ethiopia and Algeria. The object of their study was to find out how life for England’s kids compared to those elsewhere, and the results are certainly difficult to digest.
Among the factors that pushed England’s children up the ranks of the unhappiness scale were bullying, lack of self-confidence and poor body image. While primary school children are more likely to say they are happy at school, only 43% of those same students still felt the same way by the time they reached their second year of secondary school.
Commenting on the study findings, a Children’s Society representative said that the problems are so serious the Government needs to consider making counselling and positive mental health programmes compulsory for schools around the country.
Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield said: “It is crucial that children’s social and emotional well-being in promoted alongside other aspects of their lives, such as their physical health and educational outcomes.”
“It is worrying that children in England score poorly against those in many other countries. The reasons may be complex but we need to get to grips with them as a nation,” she added.
