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UNICEF Reports U.S. Children are Less Satisfied Than Other Children From Developed Nations

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Apr 18, 2013 02:01 PM EDT

Despite having less responsibilities and work, being a child is not all fun and games. Children are often subjected to bullying and teasing from fellow classmates and even family members. When these actions are left unchecked and unsupervised, children can develop serious mental conditions, such as depression and anxiety, which is why several countries have campaigned to prevent all sorts of bullying. However, according to a new report presented by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), teasing is not the only contributing factor for children who state that they are dissatisfied with their overall lives. UNICEF's report announced that children living in the United States are less satisfied with their lives than children living in other developed nations.

The UNICEF's report looked into the overall well-being of children from 29 countries from the years of 2009 to 2010. For children at the ages of 11, 13 and 15, the United States ranked number 23 on the list, just above Canada, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania and Romania. Within these countries, roughly 75 to 85 percent of the children stated that their level of satisfaction was above average. Although that percentage is over half of the children living within these countries, these rates are alarmingly low when compared to the satisfaction percentages of children in other developed countries. For children living in Spain, Iceland, the Netherlands, Finland and Greece, about 90 percent of them stated that they have high levels of satisfaction.

Aside from levels of satisfaction, the UNICEF report also ranked developed nations based on poverty levels for children. The United States ended up being ranked 34 out of 35 with children living in poverty. UNICEF found that over 20 percent of children living in the United States falls below the agency's definition of poverty, which is under half of the national salary median.

This study continues to remind the United States of its poor policies when it comes to aiding children within the nation. This report provides insight into what countries should do about these issues and should ideally promote more campaigns to help children deal with different issues, ranging from poverty to bullying. 

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