It's tough being a young person right now. We must do better at listening to them
4 min read
As I come to the end of my six-year term, I worry Westminster simply doesn’t pay enough attention to children.
Young people themselves think that's the case – in my survey, The Big Ambition, only one in five said politicians listen to them.
It has been my mission as Children’s Commissioner to make sure no decision about children is taken without their voices being heard. And that is why my final job before I wrap up this incredible role early next year will be to present the Prime Minister with children's hopes for the future.
In May, I launched the largest ever survey of children, The Big Future. And I am delighted to announce that my office has received one million survey responses. It was an ambitious target, but it now provides us with a truly unique window into our nation's children.
I am grateful to every single child who has shared their hopes and dreams with me, and I promise to do justice to their responses and make sure politicians cannot ignore what they are saying.
My research team is busy crunching the numbers and reviewing children’s written comments.
But I can share what I heard as I promoted the survey from Hadrian’s Wall to Land’s End, speaking to children every step of the way – from Scouts surfing in Norfolk to apprentices working at the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe.
Above all, I found hope and ambition – this is a generation that has been through a lot, but they are resilient, upbeat, and ambitious for a better future, for themselves and others.
I did also hear concerns.
Young people desperately want to get a great job and do well but are worried about getting one. They want more opportunities for work experience and are dispirited by sending in countless job applications only to be ignored or get an automated AI response.
the number hopeful for the future is lower at around two-thirds when it comes to secondary school children
Children are affected by the cost-of-living crisis and want more fun and affordable things to do – especially teens.
And they worry about whether the services in their area, such as for mental health, will be there if they or someone close to them needs them.
As part of promoting the survey, I asked 60,000 children one of The Big Future’s simple but very important questions: 'Do you feel hopeful about your future?' They gave their responses in a nationwide pupil vote that I ran in partnership with VotesforSchools.
Echoing what I found on the road, overall, almost 80 per cent of primary school children feel hopeful about the future.
One primary school respondent said:
“I am hopeful for the future because there are things I can do when I am an adult, which I cannot do now, like vote! I am hopeful for the future because I want to go to medical school and I want to travel (hopefully the NHS is still around).”
However, the number hopeful for the future is lower at around two-thirds when it comes to secondary school children.
A secondary school respondent said:
“Instead of adults choosing everything they build for kids, let them choose. More career opportunities and green spaces. More opportunities and activities for young people.”
That drop-off is an important sign of the pressures facing teenagers.
They gave me many reasons, including exams, lack of clubs and social services, school uniforms, apprenticeships and career pathways, and concerns around student loans. AI and climate change were dominant themes at this age too, along with finances and cost of living.
What this shows is that it's tough to be young right now.
As my recent report, The Childhood Lottery, found, the challenges they face vary greatly across age and place. But in some places, I believe life is unacceptably hard.
I have called for the government to use the opportunity of devolution to deliver for children.
I said when I launched that report that Westminster has for too long had a blind spot when it comes to children. Young people themselves don't feel their voices are heard – over the next few months, with a million loud voices calling for action, we will begin to change that.
Dame Rachel de Souza is the Children's Commissioner for England
