Childhood happiness in Wales 'at its lowest in a decade'

Thousands of young people in Wales are ''unhappy with their lives as a whole'', according to a report by the charity The Children's Society.

The charity's annual Good Childhood Report, which examines young people's well-being in the UK, estimated that 10,000 children living in Wales are unhappy with their lives.

Nationally, they say over 200,000 children are unhappy. Happiness levels are at their lowest since 2009.

The report found that a growing number of boys are unhappy with their appearance with nearly 8% of those aged between 10 and 15 saying they feel insecure.

Social media was cited as one of the reasons behind the rise in body confidence issues in boys. Traditionally, girls are found to be more body conscious but the charity say the gap between boys and girls is narrowing.

School was another source of unhappiness, with some suggesting bullying left them feeling unsafe.

Across the UK, the report also found over 40% of young people were worried about crime, while the environment caused 41% to worry.

Chief Executive of The Children's Society, Mark Russell, described the findings as a ''national scandal.''

Read more: Child poverty becoming the 'new normal' in many parts of Wales