Irish youth suffer due to high expectations, report finds

Children and teenagers in Ireland feel their parents do not listen to them and pressurise them to live up to high expectations, a Government consultation with young people has found.

The report, published on Thursday, says young people feel under immense pressure to conform to ideal body types and that there is a stigma associated with discussing eating disorders.

Respondents said schools do not treat bullying seriously and that they wanted PE classes to be adapted to suit students who are not “sporty”.

Unhealthy

The

report, titled Healthy Lifestyles: A consultation with children and young people, was based on consultations with children and young people across the State.

It will be published by Minister for Children Katherine Zappone.

In the consultation, children aged 8-12 identified “being left at home alone”, “too much homework”, “unhealthy foods”, “littering, noise” and “parents who smoked” as barriers to healthy lives.

Getting enough sleep was the second most popular step in achieving health, after a good diet,.

They identified “love and support”, “fruit, vegetables”, “a good breakfast”, “access to parks and playgrounds” and “pets” as positive factors in their lives.

Body image

Meanwhile, young people aged 13-17 cited “unrealistic body image”, “parents not being there”, “no one listening to [their] opinion”, “self-harm” and “exam stress” as negative issues in their lives.

The consultation says this age group is “very concerned with . . . mental health and emotional well-being”.

It said the pressures on girls to be “skinnier” and on boys to be “bulkier” were the most frequently mentioned difficulties for this age group.

Parents and families were identified as sources of support, but “parents not being there” was the second most frequently mentioned issue for them.