Maltese children are unhappy with their lives and the conditions they are living in at home, in their locality and at school, a new university study has found.
The children, aged eight, 10 and 12, also expressed dissatisfaction with the severe lack of space where they can safely play outside and, complained about the general lack of friends and the absence of freedom and autonomy, among others.
These are the main findings of the International Survey of Children's Subjective Well-being, an international research project on children’s well-being involving more than 35 countries across the world. The study, which samples more than 2,000 children attending state, Church and independent schools, was carried out between 2017 and 2019.
The Malta part of the research, conducted by Carmel Cefai and Nathalie Galea, from the University of Malta's Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health, found that a small percentage of Maltese children appear to be living on the poverty line and at risk of social exclusion.
One-sixth of respondents - 15 per cent – said they did not have enough pocket money, 11 per cent reported they lacked equipment used in sports/hobbies and three to four per cent admitted their clothes were not in good condition, they did not have enough money to cover school trips and activities, were unable to access the internet at home and could not afford two pairs of shoes and equipment required for school.
More than a fourth worry frequently about how much money their family has.
Gozitan children are less worried than those from the other regions and children not born in Malta appear to be more concerned than Maltese children.
Generally, Maltese children rank among those in other counties who expressed less concern.
The research found that Maltese schoolchildren are following the international trend showing that, as individuals enter into adolescence, they spend less time on physical exercise and more time behind the screen, especially on social media. More boys than girls spend time every day on social media and electronic games.
The study found that increasing good quality and child-friendly spaces for play and physical exercise as well as enhancing security for children in localities are likely to make children become more active and, consequently, improve their physical and mental health.
Most of the children reported a stable home environment with very good relationships with their parents and other family members. Ninety per cent live with their parents in one home and it was established that 78 per cent of families include siblings and 16 per cent even grandparents.
The children’s replies revealed an increasingly common trend of spending time living in two homes. Ten per cent of the children said they lived and slept in different homes regularly, this being more common among 10-year-olds when compared to those aged 12.
The research found that those who live and sleep in the same home enjoyed more positive well-being in contrast to those who live in different homes.
A good number of children said their parents lived or worked away from home for more than a month.
The great majority of Maltese children reported a high level of satisfaction with the people they live with, with 10-year-olds being more satisfied than 12-year-olds, in line with the international trend.
Although three-fourths of Maltese 10-year-olds feel completely safe at home, on the whole, they feel less safe than children their age in 21 other countries.
When asked about school, the students had very positive views of their teachers across the three age groups, with the absolute majority agreeing that teachers care about them and will help and listen to them if they had problems.
However, they complained about their safety at school, with more than a third reporting frequent arguments and fighting in their class. One in five reported frequent physical or verbal bullying and 10 per cent said they were hit or called names three or more times in the month before the study was held.
Physical bullying appears to be more frequent among younger and male students and in independent schools, though there are more instances of relational bullying in independent and church schools. Students not born in Malta were more likely to be the victims of frequent physical and verbal bullying.
The study found that Maltese schoolchildren yearned for more love and care at home, for more safe places where to play, for better living conditions to break away from the poverty trap, for more caring friends, for protection from bullying at school, for more support at school and for more meaningful education. Their situations were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The research concluded that Maltese children will enjoy a higher level of well-being if they are given more autonomy and a voice in their families and at school, if they have more opportunity to play and engage in physical exercise in child-friendly and safe open spaces, if they are given the opportunity and support to make more friends, if their learning experiences at school become more meaningful and if they are protected from bullying and fighting at school.
The researchers observed that some of the issues may also require an examination of some deeply ingrained social and culture norms, such as the way children are seen. Children are not the possessions of adults and they are not simply in a state of becoming, waiting to become adults, but they are beings and the subject of their own rights, they noted.