80% of teens say recession affected home

FOUR out of every five teenagers feel the recession has had a direct impact on their home life, with job losses and financial worries the sources of particular concern.

The information has emerged in the first in a series of four reports launched by Unicef Ireland.

It focuses on the happiness of Irish teenagers and finds that the overwhelming majority in Ireland report direct effects at home due to the recession.

Some 93% of those surveyed reported less money at home, with 25% reporting a family member having lost their job. Only 37% felt money issues would improve over the next two years.

The report also found bullying continues to be prevalent among young people and is playing a significant role in defining their transition from childhood to adulthood.

More than half of those surveyed said they have been bullied at some point in their lives. Cyber-bullying was found to be affecting one-in-five people.

However, the vast majority continues to take traditional forms — word and actions.

The report stressed the need to acknowledge that bullying in schools continues to be prevalent and take conventional forms such as teasing, jeering, isolation and physical assault, as well as newer forms facilitated by widespread access to newer forms of technology, such as social networking sites.

Some 62% of boys report they have been accused of bullying, compared to 38% of girls, whilst a more significant proportion of boys report being bullied by words, actions and cyber-bullying than do girls.

In terms of cyber-bullying, four times more girls report that they have had text messages shared about them than boys.

Commenting on the report, Unicef Ireland executive director Melanie Verwoerd said the report showed how life for young people had become increasingly challenging.

“At an economically turbulent time in Ireland it is crucial for any government to remember that how they treat children, the most vulnerable part of society, is how they will be remembered in history,” she said.

“It’s time we all started listening to young people. Changing the future is about young people having their say.”