The UK ranks near the bottom of a league table for child wellbeing and teenage happiness, according to a global report.
The Unicef study found children in general across the world are more likely to underperform at school, be obese and feel unhappy than several years ago.
When compared to other high-income countries, the UK ranks 21 out of 36 for child wellbeing, while countries such as France, Spain and Portugal rank near the top.
Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania and Hungary also rank above the UK, while the Netherlands and Denmark retain their position as the top two places to be a child.
Elsewhere, the UK is in the bottom third of countries on child mental health (27 out of 36), while teenage life satisfaction sees the UK scoring joint second from last (tied with Chile, with only Turkey scoring lower).
In the UK, the percentage of teens reporting high life satisfaction fell from 64% in 2018 to 62% in 2022, with girls much more likely to report unhappiness than boys.
Frequency of talking with parents had a strong positive link with satisfaction, while frequency of being bullied had a major negative effect.
Researchers said rates of frequent bullying “remain high” in the UK and are the third highest among high income countries, with 27% of 15-year-olds experiencing frequent bullying in both 2018 and 2022.
The UK youth suicide rate has also increased in recent years, rising from a three-year average of four per 100,000 population aged 15 to 19 in 2018 to 5.12 in 2022.
Elsewhere, the UK is in the middle third of countries for physical health (22 out of 41) and 15 out of 41 for social skills and academic proficiency.
Furthermore, more than 30% of children were overweight in 2022, above the rich country average of 28%.
Between the ages of two and five, the average UK toddler gets 61% of their calories from ultra-processed food, much higher than children in other countries including the US, the report also found.
There is also a higher proportion of sugar in infant food pouches in the UK than other countries, and “persistent marketing” of unnecessary toddler/growing up milks which are high in sugars.
Overall, the Unicef “report card” found that children in many of the world’s wealthiest countries have seen a decline in their mental wellbeing, physical health and academic performance between 2018 and 2022, a time also covering the Covid pandemic.
Dr Philip Goodwin, chief executive of the United Kingdom Committee for Unicef, said: “The latest figures from Unicef’s report card give us a deeply concerning insight into just how much UK children are struggling.
“Our teenagers are reporting some of the lowest life satisfaction levels, which must be a wake-up call for the Government.
“However, action to tackle these issues is not coming fast enough.
“The UK Government’s comprehensive spending review next month must show it is serious about improving the lives of children by addressing the record numbers living in poverty and investing in essential health and education services to support children right from the very start of their lives.”
Unicef warned of a “polycrisis” facing children across the globe, such as the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic, climate change and developments in digital technology.
Researchers concluded that, in many wealthy countries, children are “becoming less happy with their lives, more likely to be overweight and obese, and are not doing well at school”.
The report card specifically examined teen life satisfaction aged 15 and adolescent suicide between the ages of 15 and 19.
On skills, it looked at academic proficiency (aged 15) and social skills (aged 15).
A Government spokesperson said: “This government is investing an extra £680 million in mental health services this year, to help recruit 8,500 more mental health workers and put mental health support in every school.
“We are also tackling obesity head on by blocking new fast-food outlets near schools and cracking down on junk food adverts on TV and online to protect young children.
“We are developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school and driving up standards in schools through our new regional improvement teams.”
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