Global Perspective on child well-being

A report by the UN children's organisation Unicef has found that the well-being of children in the US and UK is amongst the worst in the world's developed nations.

Meanwhile the Netherlands came top for child welfare.

"The true measure of a nation's standing is how well it attends to its children... their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies into which they are born," the report says.

Readers from the UK have been speculating on the reasons for this and readers from the BBC's language sites have added comments on youth in their own regions.

"This report is desperately sad but absolutely true" Anne, London, UK More comments from BBC News website "We must nurture our children if we want a better world" Nora, Caracas, Venezuela More comments from BBCMundo.com

"The more patriarchal a society, the stronger its family unit" Bulldozer, Moscow, Russia More comments from BBCRussian.com

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BBC NEWS WEBSITE

This report is as expected, desperately sad but absolutely true. The whole family fabric is in tatters now in the UK. The cost of living has forced mothers out to work - everyone wants material possessions and children are pampered, with enormous sums of money to spend in shopping centres at weekends instead of having valuable time spent with them.
Anne, London, UK

Interestingly, I commute between the highest and lowest ranked countries in this survey and the difference is very marked. Dutch children appear happy, outgoing and enjoy considerable personal freedom in a society that places an emphasis on social responsibility... approaching a group of Dutch teenagers is not a cause for apprehension. Kids at home seem moody and fearful, ill at ease with themselves and society, masking this fear with the need to convey a sense of menace. Our society encourages a gormless nihilism. And guess what? It's not the government that's to blame... it's us! We create this culture ourselves and amplify it through a cynical media to play back to our kids.
David, Netherlands/UK

I'm in my early 30s, my wife in her late 20s, and we'd love to start a family. But we can't afford to buy a house on a single wage and the idea of commuting for hours each day seems totally incompatible with the idea of having a family. There are many couples who would love to have kids and bring them up well but just can't afford it. What's the point in having kids if you spend more time driving and working than being with them?
Stegstegsson, Banbury, UK

No - as a teacher I can safely say that parents are failing their children. Without proper upbringing, it is nearly impossible for anyone to make a difference. If a child comes to me with developed social skills and a good attitude, I can help them. If they don't, I am really not sure what I can do.
YDJ, Nottingham, UK

I'm sure the nanny state's partly to blame. Giving kids adult's rights when they don't have to maturity to handle it just simply gives them a weapon against their parents and society in general. Perhaps its time to review the past and see why society worked once and not now!
Vicki, Southampton, UK

Well, look on the bright side. If the government brings in the new road pricing scheme, no-one will be able to afford to go to work and will be forced to stay at home and look after their children. That will make things better, eh?.
Deb, Birmingham, UK

BBCRUSSIAN.COM

The more patriarchal a society, the stronger its family unit. On the other hand, it is not necessarily the case that children living with both parents have better lives. In Russia, for instance, there are plenty of husbands who are alcoholics and out of work, who beat up their wives and children when drunk. Only recently women have started earning decent money and getting rid of such "fathers".
Bulldozer [pen-name], Russia

It could well be that Britain and USA don't take good care of their children, I have not had a chance to make personal observations. What I do know for sure is that Russia does not take care of its children at all, the money allocated for their health and development is nothing compared to defence and security spending. The demagogy of the powers-that-be just proves that they don't care about the children of their country.
Viktor Dubrovskiy, St Petersburg, Russia

Children were a value in the context of society where they represented a reliable financial investment for the old age: today I take care of my children, tomorrow the children will take care of me. In economically developed countries, where a working person can easily provide for his old age, children have become an obstacle for career and self-realization, as well as a major expense in the family budget. Which is why people who choose to have children today are either those who adhere to traditional values or those who simply love children.
Anna Blank, Israel

This seems to be an inevitable trend for industrialized countries. The more technologically advanced is the country, the lower its birth rate and the quicker the traditional methods of raising children are forgotten. Parents are simply too busy to care - and that's a shame.
suliz2007 [pen-name], Moscow

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BBCMUNDO.COM

We must nurture our children if we want a better World where peace and love prevail. The main thing to be done is to promote values, and this is not the task of governments, but the responsibility of each family. Our society today is starved of spiritual values. Many lessons about values and what a noble character is could be learned in the Bible.
Nora, Caracas, Venezuela

In my country we don't have luxuries, expensive cars or clothes of the top brands. In my native Cuba children have a childhood, they have love, food, even if it is a plate with rationed goods, a doctor, a school...
Sanchez, USA

Dad works, mum works, and the kids stay in the nurseries or with a childminder. The children don't see their parents for most of the day, they get beautiful presents but they don't get enough of what matters most: love from their parents.
Rodrigueza, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Our answer is to do everything we can. We must know that one can make a difference and that responsibility must be shared. We've got to act now with little efforts such as turning a switch or a tap off, or sharing transport. Undoubtedly, this report is a wake up call to act, otherwise, the damage will be irreversible
José Araya, Costa Rica

We must develop strategies to fight global warming, but this isn't going to happen until last minute, because that solution would go against the interests of the big corporations. I'm afraid that it's going to be too late.
Joaquín Ramos, Seattle

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