An international study has found the UK’s ‘Generation Z’ (classed as those aged 15 to 21) is among the unhappiest in the world.
Anxieties about money, school and succeeding in life were found to be major influences on the mental health of UK children, whose low mental wellbeing score was surpassed only by Japan.
The study, compiled by the Varkey Foundation, found that youngsters in France, Italy and Turkey reported being far happier than their British counterparts, with adolescents in Indonesia taking the happiness top spot.
It was found that 46% of all those surveyed felt pressured by school, yet there was no clear link between the education performance of the country and young people’s happiness or mental health. Only 15% of Brits said they had enough time to sleep, relax and exercise – important factors for a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Extremism and the rise of global terrorism was the issue that concerned young people in the UK the most – something they shared with 12 of the other 20 countries.
