1. Young people have distinct needs and rights

Children and youth have important and distinct needs and entitlements. Childhood is a period of development in which breastfeeding, immunization, schooling, language development and playing are among children’s distinct needs and rights. 

Because of their developmental stage, children and youth are also more deeply affected by even temporary deprivations, such as food insecurity, and exposures, such as air pollution, which can have lifelong impacts and cumulative costs. Children and youth are also more vulnerable to exploitation and violence because of their developmental stage and legal status. 

At the same time, children and youth have many of the same rights as adults, such as the right to participate in decisions affecting them, but they struggle to have those rights recognized and respected.

2. Young people assess well-being differently

Adults tend to place a great deal of emphasis on certain aspects of child and youth well-being, such as health and educational achievement. While these are also important to young people, they report that a sustainable ecosystem and their relationships with their families, peers and pets are very important to their well-being, among other things that adults rarely consider or value. 

Youth may be taking fewer health risks and graduating from high school at higher rates than previous generations, but they are also feeling unprecedented pressure and anxiety about succeeding and belonging – to the degree that it impairs their overall well-being. 

3. Young people’s experience of life is unique

It is easy to presume that the decisions we make to advance the welfare of “everyone” will trickle down to benefit children and youth, too. But we know from experience that this is not always true. Children and youth report lower levels of life satisfaction – a standard indicator of overall happiness and well-being – than do adults in Canada. In fact, many global indexes of well-being rank Canada near the top for adult-focused indicators, but much lower for child-focused indicators. Surveys of life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that life satisfaction has declined more steeply among young people than among adults. As well, adults may over- or underestimate how young people experience bullying, mental health and other often-hidden aspects of their lives – even in the lives of children and youth close to them. This results in missed opportunities to support young people in the ways they need most.

*Rees, G. and Gromada, A. 2021. Finland is the happiest country in the world – again. Or is it? UNICEF Connect. https://blogs.unicef.org/evidence-for-action/finland-is-the-happiest-country-in-the-world-again-or-is-it/