According to UNICEF, Irish teens are number one in academic performance, beating all other nations in the rich world.
However, the country only ranks 24th in adolescent mental well-being.
Irish people’s mental and physical health is far outpaced by the Dutch, with some experts claiming the answer lies in the different attitudes either country has to cycling.
Head of Advocacy for UNICEF Ireland Aibhlín O’Leary said that while the Netherlands holds the rank of number one in the world for child happiness, they are in eleventh place when it comes to academics.
“We can’t say for certain that there’s a direct correlation between those two things and their relative ranking to Ireland,” she told Moncrieff.
“But I think we can have a discussion as a country about, why is it that the highest well being for children is in a country where those academic pressures are maybe a little bit lower?
“We are also obviously seeing that article about cycling in the Netherlands suggests a high level of physical activity.
“And we know that there’s a correlation between physical activity and higher life satisfaction as well.”
Four-year-olds Lily Ranalow and Margaret Darcy playing tennis at Herbert Park council playgrounds, 26-04-2021. Image Sasko Lazarov/RollingNewsMs O’Leary said while there may not be many major material differences between the lives of teens living in Ireland versus the Netherlands, the cycling culture of the Dutch gives young people “opportunities to explore safely and independently”.
“I think it probably points to a wider societal shift of thinking,” she said.
“Around what sort of environment do we want to create for children, for families, in our towns, villages, countryside that facilitates children and young people to safely travel around independently as well as adults.
“Obviously, it’s also very beneficial for older people, but that’s just one piece of the puzzle.”
According to Ms O’Leary, a lack of funding for mental health supports is likely also a big factor in this discrepancy.
Main image: Depression, social isolation, loneliness, mental health and discrimination concept. Sad, lonely, depressed and unhappy man.
