Kids need more support coping with stress: poll

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Your child’s mental health may be a bigger concern than you realize and a new survey from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians believe we need to do more to help our kids.

The poll shows we are aware of the problems and you can count on bullying and poverty among the issues. More than seven-in-10 adults and the same number of children believe the country must make protecting the mental well-being of kids and helping them fulfill their potential priorities.

But the big question is: How? There are, at least, a few solutions. Among them is establishing a Children’s Commissioner, a Children’s Budget, and a National Strategy for Children.

“The findings present a country with competing realities. While a generally encouraging picture of life for tweens and teens in Canada is reported on several metrics — their home, neighbourhoods and relationships — several other areas are sources of concern for many, and a desire for more engagement on their behalf with policymakers is evident,” says the agency in a statement.

Not everyone is sure the solutions would work, with many saying these options would be “nice to have” but wonder if they’d actually make a difference.

Some of the key findings in the report include how an income level can impact a child’s satisfaction with their home while 50 per cent of parents say a lack of money is hurting their children, while a similar number say parenting is a bigger challenge than they were expecting.

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