Survey shows parents worried that kids' childhood not as happy as their generation was

A new survey from Stagecoach Performing Arts School found that nearly half of UK parents (41%) are worried that their children are not as happy as they were growing up.

The data, captured at the end of 2022, found most parents believed their children were unhappy at least once a month (58%).

A further 47% said they were unhappy at least once a week, while 26% said their child was unhappy two to three times a week.

Parents blamed the unhappiness on a lack of time outdoors (47%), pressure from peers (45%) and homework (42%).

While a majority of children (51%) stated that homework was a top cause of unhappiness, this was followed closely by pressure from their peers (38%) and pressure from school (38%).

The new study underlines the importance of children getting time to socialise with friends and explore their creative side, with children themselves citing singing and dancing as their top methods for avoiding unhappiness.

Almost all children surveyed said seeing their friends (92%) and family (89%) made them happy, with singing and dancing not far behind (85%).

When asked about the biggest concerns for their children, nearly half of parents (48%) revealed that bullying and cyberbullying was the top worry, with addictions to social media (26%) and an inability for their kids to express themselves effectively (25%), landing as the top responses.

Stagecoach’s head of marketing, Dijana Radisevic said: “Parents are aware that being confined to the indoors during the pandemic and extreme screen time took a toll on their children's wellbeing, depriving them of precious time spent with peers and classmates, a critical moment for building creative skills as well as overall joy.

"This generation's experience is nothing like what their parents experienced in their own childhoods.

“Fortunately, children desire the company of others, with many taking part in the survey saying spending quality time with their friends, singing and dancing are among their most pleasurable activities.

"Creativity is essential to children's development - enabling them to discover their artistic talents, build confidence and equip them to thrive in all facets of their lives and careers.”

With over 55,000 students across 3,000 extra-curricular performing arts schools worldwide, demand for performing arts continues to exceed pre-Covid levels.

The role of these creative and social spaces has never been more important.

Dijana continues: “Nurturing kids’ creativity will help children not only explore their creative skills, but thrive on and off stage so that they will succeed in any life situation - both in the boardroom and the West End - whichever journey they choose”.

Creative play is also important for improving motor skills, balance, spatial depth, hand-eye coordination and more.

Simply holding a paintbrush or using scissors can work these skills in a fun way.

Other activities, such as a scavenger hunt or dancing, can also help kids stay physically active in general.

Creativity helps children express themselves and show their feelings verbally and non-verbally.