The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed serious concern that children are being pressured to grow up too quickly and that this is contributing to mental health problems among youngsters.

The Very Rev Dr Rowan Williams said that a generation of young parents is failing to offer the right level of love and support to their children who, in turn, are becoming "infant adults".

In comments to the BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the Archbishop said that a wide range of different influences, including family separations, the barrage of testing in schools and commercial pressures, were causing children to grow up before their time.
. . .
"We are talking about one in ten young people with measurable mental health problems, including depression and self harm. That is a very worrying statistic."

Dr Williams’s remarks came on the same day as the launch of the Children’s Society’s Good Childhood Inquiry, sparked by a letter from over 100 child care experts warning that aspects of modern life threaten the mental and social well-being of children.

He added that research by the Society, which is part of the Church of England, had shown concerns about the pressures on time in schools and outside including a pressure to get “measurable things” achieved in a very short space of time.“  Are we right to put such an emphasis on testing from such an early age and give that such prominence at a time when it seems to undermine children’s confidence and increase their levels of pressure?” Dr Williams asked.

He also suggested that too many parents, worried about paedophiles, are excessively protecting their children.  This, he said, has restrained volunteerism and instilled distrust.

Previous related posts: