According to a 2022 report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, almost one-third of children in the UK live in poverty. With the annual rate of inflation recently reaching 11.1% – a 41-year high – soaring energy bills and food prices mean families across the UK are struggling more than ever to meet basic needs.
Calls to the NSPCC’s Childline service show that it’s not just adults bearing the strain of the cost of living crisis. Children and young people are also suffering – either through awareness of the pressures their parents and carers face, or by taking on this burden themselves.
In fact, Childline has received calls like this one from a 14-year-old girl – explaining her fear about losing her family home: “My family isn’t the richest and I’m scared we won’t be able to pay our bills and we’ll lose our house,” she confides in Childline counsellors.
Darren Worth, a Childline service head, has witnessed first-hand how complicated young people’s worlds have become in recent years. Worries about mental and emotional health, he says, are the number one recorded topic as a knock-on effect of the cost of living crisis.
“Children will tell us: ‘My family are stressed and arguing about money – and it’s making me feel anxious,’” says Worth, adding that Childline has heard from children whose families can’t afford heating. “They are talking to us about those connected impacts – where the cost of living crisis is the cause.”
Another common emotional effect is the fear of being judged. While adults can usually rationalise and develop ways in which not to worry about how other people see them, a peer’s opinion is crucial to a young person. “It’s a real fear or worry about what their friends will think if they aren’t able to do the same things their friends can,” says Worth.
In such situations, it can help to talk to a Childline counsellor who is “outside of the picture and anonymous”, says Childline counsellor Jackie*. As parents facing these pressures “may be less likely to be aware if their children are suffering”, the NSPCC’s services are more needed than ever. “It is the role of the NSPCC’s Childline service to listen, empathise and support them to see that this is not their fault or responsibility.”
While children might not necessarily experience the cost of living crisis directly, they may well be feeling the ramifications of the behaviour of their parents, family or carer. There might be greater tensions in the home or, perhaps, their basic needs as a child are not being met because the adults are struggling to cope themselves.
“Children are incredibly perceptive,” says Worth. “They pick up on the emotions and stresses of the people around them. For that reason, for those who are more vulnerable, the impact is absolutely enormous.”
Sadly, this can lead to a sense of helplessness, where young people feel the adults around them – be that parents, family, carers, teachers or youth workers – can no longer help. They might say: “What’s the point in talking to them?”, which can lead to a distrust of authorities because they sense that nothing will change or get better. In turn, this sense of helplessness can then leave them more vulnerable to criminalised behaviour or sexual exploitation – because the latter quite often comes with promises of gifts or money.
Worth says one of the NSPCC’s most empowering assets is that young people can determine which Childline service they need at the outset. This means, when a child calls in they are presented with a menu that considers whether they want someone to listen to them or seek advice. “We want a world where young people are safe and looked after, so we can work with them to identify what [part of] their world can change with support from us or the adults they trust, or reduce that feeling of ‘stuckness’ so they can see other ways are possible,” says Worth. “Or we can take a more practical approach in crisis situations.”
As the cost of living crisis continues, the best thing parents and carers can offer is to create a safe, open and non-judgmental space for children to talk about their worries. This is highly critical, says Worth, because young people don’t often have all the information around the problem, and this space allows them to be reassured and offload that burden to the adult. If additional help is needed, the Childline website offers advice for young people, and adults can encourage them to speak to a counsellor.
“Our website has great information on everything from worries about the world and the cost of living crisis to a confidential service through a voice call, one-to-one chat or email. Parents, carers and teachers can even use the adult helpline on 0808 800 5000 to seek advice.
“The main thing is to encourage children to speak out.”
* Quotes are based on real Childline service users but are not necessarily direct quotes. All names and potentially identifying details have been changed to protect the identity of the child or young person involved.
Help support young people struggling with the impact of the cost of living crisis by donating to NSPCC today