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Irish Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish teens among the unhappiest in the world and pandemic deepened the crisis
A new report by UNICEF claims Irish teenagers are amongst the unhappiest in the world because they succeed academically but struggle in life. Around 33% of the teens claim to have a low satisfaction with their lives, according to UNICEF's Report Card 19: Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World. It warned that Ireland's youth suicide rate is above the international average after comparing the wellbeing of teens across 43 OECD and EU countries. The Covid-19 pandemic, school closures, social isolation and separation from their peers and support systems, plus health concerns like weight are all referenced in the report. UNICEF claimed that these issues have 'deepened existing inequalities', especially amongst teens from disadvantaged areas. A UNICEF spokesperson said: 'The aftershocks of the pandemic, combined with economic pressures and digital harm, are reversing decades of progress in child wellbeing. Governments are urged to centre children in recovery plans and ensure young people have a voice in shaping their futures. The spokesperson added: 'Irish teenagers are among the least happy in high-income countries, despite leading the world in academic skills. While Ireland ranks first for academic performance, it falls to 24th for adolescent mental wellbeing — placing it in the bottom half globally. 'The findings reveal that nearly one in three 15-year-olds in Ireland report low life satisfaction. The country's youth suicide rate stands at 6.4 per 100,000, which is above the international average. The report analyses changes from 2018 to 2022, a period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, school closures, and widespread social isolation. 'The report also highlights physical health risks. In Ireland, more than one in four children and adolescents (25.7%) are overweight or obese." UNICEF Ireland responded to the report by urging the Government to 'take targeted actions to protect child wellbeing, including'. The charity's executive director Peter Power warned: 'These findings are stark. Ireland's teens are succeeding in school, but struggling in life. We must match our investment in academic achievement with the same urgency for mental and emotional wellbeing.' UNICEF Ireland's head of advocacy, Aibhlin O'Leary, said: 'The pandemic has deepened existing inequalities, setting a troubling precedent for children's wellbeing, particularly among those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds."
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Irish teens ‘succeeding in school, struggling in life', expert says amid ‘stark' least happy in developed world report
IRISH teenagers are among the least happy in high-income countries, despite leading the world in academic skills. Almost one in three 15-year-olds report life satisfaction across the country, the UNICEF report revealed. 2 More than one in four children and adolescents are overweight or obese in Ireland Credit: Getty While Ireland ranks first for academic performance, it falls to 24th for adolescent Ireland's youth suicide rate also stands at 6.4 per 100,000 which is above the international average. The Report Card 19: Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World compares the wellbeing of Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland, Peter Power, said: "These findings are stark. Read more in Health "Ireland's teens are succeeding in school, but struggling in life. "We must match our investment in academic achievement with the same urgency for mental and emotional wellbeing." The report analysed changes from 2018 to 2022, a period marked by the Across 26 countries with available data, life satisfaction among adolescents declined in 22. Most read in The Irish Sun School shutdowns, which lasted anywhere from three to twelve months, disconnected young people from peers, teachers, and critical support systems. More than one in four children and adolescents are The 15 signs a loved one is struggling with their mental health - and how to help When combined with constant exposure to unrealistic online body standards, the mental and physical health pressures on young people are intensifying. Head of Advocacy at UNICEF Ireland, Aibhlin O'Leary, added: "The pandemic has deepened existing inequalities, setting a troubling precedent for children's wellbeing - particularly among those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds. "To respond meaningfully, we need a unified, child-centred strategy that tackles these disparities head-on and supports every child, at every stage of their development." UNICEF Ireland is urging the government to take targeted actions to protect child wellbeing, including increasing investment in in-school mental health services, particularly in disadvantaged areas, and drastically reducing waiting times for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). UNICEF Ireland targeted actions: Other targeted actions include: Improving physical health by enforcing strict nutritional standards for school meals to ensure all children, especially in disadvantaged areas, have access to nutritious, balanced meals; regulation of the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, in line with public health priorities, must also be prioritised. Strengthening digital resilience and body image education within the Junior Cycle curriculum, ensuring these topics are comprehensively delivered to address the harmful mental health effects of online pressures and unrealistic beauty standards. Engaging children and young people in conversations about their experiences with mobile phones and digital technology, fostering digital literacy and awareness of their rights in the online space. This includes working with them to identify and address the challenges they face online, and developing solutions that promote their mental health and overall wellbeing A spokesperson added: "UNICEF warns that the aftershocks of the pandemic, combined with economic pressures and digital harm, are reversing decades of progress in child wellbeing. "Governments are urged to centre children in recovery plans and ensure young people have a voice in shaping their futures." 2 The mental and physical health pressures on young people are intensifying Credit: Getty
The Journal
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Irish teens 'succeeding in school but struggling in life', says UN report
IRISH TEENAGERS ARE some of the least happy among the world's high-income countries, according to a UNICEF report. Analysing the mental and physical state of children across 43 OECD and EU countries, the report looked at the aftershock effects of the covid period and expanding digital world, which the children's rights agency says are 'reversing decades of progress in child wellbeing'. It places Ireland 24th overall for the mental health of its adolescence. Despite topping the list for academic performance, the data indicate a notable decline in the mental health of Irish teenagers in a period characterised by increased levels of isolation, the stifling of social interaction and the removal of critical support systems owing to long period of lockdowns. One in three Irish teenagers were found to have what is termed 'low life satisfaction', a factor which the report attributes to increased social media use. Life satisfaction was found to have dipped in recent years across several countries, including Ireland, with a notable decline in overall child mental health between the pre and post-covid periods. Although Ireland has a youth suicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 (above the international average), the data showed a decrease in these figures among teenagers over the period in question. Advertisement UNICEF Ireland's executive director, Peter Power, described the results of the study as 'stark'. 'Ireland's teens are succeeding in school, but struggling in life,' he said. 'We must match our investment in academic achievement with the same urgency for mental and emotional wellbeing.' The children's rights agency is calling on the Government to investing heavily in in-school mental health services, particularly in disadvantaged areas, to prevent a further decline in the mental health. The report also revealed that one in four Irish teenagers (25.7%) are overweight or obese as UNICEF urges action by the Government in enforcing strict nutritional standards for school meals. Concerns around the harmful elements associated with the rise of social media use have led to further calls to foster in teenagers a digital literacy and awareness of their rights in the online space. 'The pandemic has deepened existing inequalities, setting a troubling precedent for children's wellbeing—particularly among those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds,' said Aibhlin O'Leary, Head of Advocacy at UNICEF Ireland. 'To respond meaningfully, we need a unified, child-centred strategy that tackles these disparities head-on and supports every child, at every stage of their development.' The agency is warning that the Governments must centre children in its recovery plans and ensure young people have a voice in shaping their futures. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
