British children are caught in a "materialistic trap" in which they are unable to spend enough time with their families and instead are bought off with "branded goods" by their parents, the United Nation's children's agency Unicef warns.
Three years ago, Unicef ranked the UK at the bottom of a league table for child wellbeing across 21 industrialised countries, by looking at poverty, family relationships, and health.
It attempted to discover why children fared better in nations which were both more equal to the UK – Sweden – and more unequal, such as Spain.
The results were startling. Children in all three countries told researchers that their happiness is dependent on having time with family and friends and having "plenty to do outdoors".
Despite that, parents in the UK, especially those in low-income families, said they felt "tremendous pressure from society to buy material goods for their children". This pressure was felt most acutely in low-income homes.
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