Happiness of British children declines in past decade

One in nine children in the UK say they are unhappy with their lives, a greater proportion than a decade ago

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

British children are less happy now than they were a decade ago, new research suggests.

Around 300,000 youngsters are unhappy with their lives, compared to around 173,000 ten years ago, the Children Society’s annual review of young people’s wellbeing found.

Among the most prominent worries cited were the pressures to look good and unhappiness at school. One in 11 children were unhappy with their school lives a decade ago: that figure is now one in nine.