A Good Childhood is the conclusion of a three-year survey by theChildren's Society, which was carried out by 11 experts and hadcontributions from 30,000 children and adults.
Issues highlighted in the wide-ranging report include the impact offamily breakdown and a new youth culture, which has led to advertisersincreasingly targeting children through television and the internet.
According to the report, children spend 21 hours a week in front oftelevision, video games or the internet.
It blames advertisers for targeting children with junk food, and saysthat the more a child is exposed to television and the internet the morematerialistic they become, with consequences for their mentalhealth.
Among its recommendations for improving childhood, the report calls onthe Government to raise the pay and status of childcare workers andteachers.
It also calls for free parenting classes for new parents andpsychological help for families when relationships break down and forchildren who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Children's Society chief executive Bob Reitemeier (pictured) toldNursery World, 'As a society we are overly interested in self-promotion.The flip side is children growing up in a society where we are not asconcerned about helping others. There is a lack of collectiveresponsibility.'
The report says that children with step-parents or single parents are onaverage 50 per cent more likely to have problems at school and withself-esteem, behaviour and anxiety. However, Mr Reitemeier stressed thatit 'is in no way a condemnation of a particular family structure'.
He said parents needed to be more aware of the impact that conflictbetween them has on their children and 'pro-active in helping childrendevelop friendships,' which children highlighted as particularlyimportant to them.
Further information
'A Good Childhood: searching for values in a competitive age' ispublished today by Penguin at 9.99