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.

Over half of 11-14-year-olds said they had seen online pornography with four out of 10 of these saying it had affected their relationships with others of their age.

Frankie Sandford of girlband The Saturdays and Labour leader Ed Miliband are among those who are backing a campaign in Britain — YoungMinds — which calls for improvements across a range of issues that young people say are the biggest they face.

“I get to talk to a lot of young people and I know there are so many who are really suffering and struggling with life,” Ms Sandford noted.

“That’s why I really support the YoungMinds campaign because it’s raising awareness of the importance of young people having good mental health, and everything that can be done to make that happen, including young people getting access to help when they need it.”

Mr Miliband said: “YoungMinds’ survey exposes some of the pressures children are under today, from bullying and sexualisation to worries about job prospects.

“And when they feel depressed, too many young people are afraid to speak out or find a lack of support when they do.

“Good mental health is essential for children to thrive and succeed. That’s why we must ensure all young people have access to the help and support they need, when they need it.

“Mental health is the biggest unaddressed health challenge of our age.”

YoungMinds campaigns director Lucie Russell said: “Every day we hear about the unprecedented toxic climate children and young people face in a 24/7 online culture where they can never switch off.”