Yet another British report on how bad things are for children in that country blames most of the problems now facing young people on a culture of “excessive individualism” that has developed in recent decades. The Good Childhood Inquiry says the “me-first” attitude of adults is causing family breakdowns, competition in eduction, a growing gap between rich and poor, unkindness among teenagers and premature sexualization through advertising.

The two-year investigation by The Children’s Society is based on interviews with 35,000 children, parents and professionals and is being billed as a “landmark” in addressing the widely discussed unhappiness of British youngsters. Emotional and behavioural problems are on the rise, almost a quarter of young people live in households below the breadline, a third of 16-year-olds live apart from their fathers, and the country has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in western Europe. (Can anyone see the key indicator here? No dad… click here to read whole article and make comments