It’s not difficult to understand the impact the cost of living crisis is having on the UK, because – let’s face it, we’re all feeling the consequences. But when it comes to young people in particular, the effects are proving even more detrimental and far-reaching than you might think. It’s estimated that today, a staggering one-third of children in the UK live in poverty. Childline, the counselling service run by the NSPCC, has received calls from children feeling the impact of the financial strain the UK is facing first-hand: “I’m scared of the electricity prices going up because mum doesn’t have a job,” said Leanne*, 16, on a call to Childline last year.
Research shows that those in low-income families – with less of a buffer against rising costs and unexpected expenses – are significantly less able to cope with growing financial pressures (a third of people in the poorest fifth of households have savings of less than £250, for example). It’s sadly not a reality that escapes children, explains Adeniyi Alade, a service head for Childline in Scotland, who has seen first-hand the impact the crisis is having on young people. “Children and young people definitely see the changes that are happening at home, whether we choose to explain it to them or not,” he says. “They’re all too aware of changes in our behaviour and lifestyle – say if we keep turning the heating down or off, or limit access to certain activities.”
