Children are growing up in ‘toxic climate’ of pressure

Children and young people are growing up in an “unprecedented toxic climate” of stress and pressure, according to a poll in Britain.

Fear of failure, bullying, pressure to try and be thin and feeling depressed were some of the issues complained of by the 2,000 youngsters aged 11 to 25 who were quizzed in a poll commissioned for national charity YoungMinds.

Over half of children and young people believed they would be a failure if they did not get good grades, half the youngsters said they had been bullied, while a third of the youngsters said they did not know where to turn to get help when they feel depressed or anxious.