Child Wellbeing in an Unpredictable World | 17 May 2025

Source: DTE 

Why in News? 

A United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) report titled “Child Wellbeing in an Unpredictable World” reveals that children in the world’s wealthiest nations have experienced a steep decline in academic performance, mental health, and physical wellbeing since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

What is the Impact of Covid-19 on Global Children’s Well-being? 

• Academic Setbacks: School closures ranging from 3 to 12 months during the pandemic severely disrupted learning. 
  • Approximately 8 million 15-year-olds (~50% of the age group) were not functionally literate and numerate in 2022, a 4% rise since 2018. 
  • Countries like Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, and Mexico reported over two-thirds of 15-year-olds lacking basic skills. 
• Mental Wellbeing Decline: Life satisfaction of children dropped significantly in 14 out of 32 countries with available data. Japan was the only country reporting an improvement in children’s life satisfaction. 
• Physical Health Concerns: Overweight and obesity rates increased substantially in 14 out of 43 countries, continuing a worrying long-term trend. 
• Best in  Child Well Being: The Netherlands and Denmark are the top two countries for child wellbeing, measured across mental wellbeing, physical health, and skills followed by France. 

What is the Status of Child Wellbeing in India? 

• Mental Well-being: In India, most children with mental health issues remain undiagnosed and untreated.  
  • Even before Covid-19, 50 million children were affected, with 80–90% not seeking help.  
  • A 2021 UNICEF-Gallup survey found that only 41% of Indian youth supported seeking mental health help, highlighting widespread stigma and reluctance to seek support. 
  • It has been observed that suicide is the 4th leading cause of death among the late adolescent age groups (15–19 years) in India. 
• Physical Health: 
  • Nutrition: According to UNICEF's World Obesity Atlas 2022, India may have over 27 million obese children by 2030 (1 in 10 globally), with associated economic costs projected to surge from USD 23 billion in 2019 to USD 479 billion by 2060. 
  • Child mortality: Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) reduced from 39 per 1000 live births (2014) to 27 per 1000 live births (2021). 
    • Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) dropped from 45 per 1000 live births (2014) to 31 per 1000 live births (2021). 
• Skills: 
  • Academic Proficiency: India has one of the largest school systems with over 240 million students and 9 million teachers, but learning outcomes, especially in literacy and numeracy, remain a major challenge.  
    • The Economic Survey 2024-25 notes that National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 aims for 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2030.  
    • Currently, GER is nearly universal at the primary level (93%) but lower at the secondary level (77.4%).  
    • Despite progressive enrollment, learning outcomes remain poor, particularly in foundational literacy and numeracy.  
    • According to the World Bank’s Learning Poverty Index (percentage of 10-year-olds unable to read a basic text), India's learning poverty rate increased to 70% post Covid-19, from 55% in 2019. 
  • Social Skills: A survey by Smile Foundation reveals that 58% of teachers in India believe children missed out on social skills during Covid-19 and get distracted easily. 

What are the Causes of Declining Child Wellbeing ? 

• Economic Inequality: Economic disparities deprive millions of children of basic needs such as nutritious food, shelter, healthcare, and education. 
  • Children in poor households are more likely to experience child labour, and school dropouts. 
  • Chronic undernutrition (stunting, wasting) continues to affect children, especially in low-income and marginalized communities. 
    • Inadequate access to quality healthcare, especially in rural and tribal areas, impacts child survival and long-term development. 
• Social Cause: Discriminatory practices (e.g., preference for sons, caste-based exclusion) coupled with Harmful traditional practices like child marriage, female genital mutilation, etc., impact the rights and wellbeing of many children.  
  • Children in conflict zones or refugee camps face trauma, hunger, violence, and lack of access to basic services. 
    • Migrant children are often excluded from national education and health systems, increasing their vulnerability. 
  • Rising academic pressure from a very early age, coupled with family stress and digital overexposure, has led to increasing cases of depression, anxiety, and even suicide among children and teenagers. 
  • Rising instances of trafficking, sexual exploitation, and domestic violence exacerbate the crisis of child wellbeing. 
• Digital Inequality: The rise of digital education has excluded children without access to devices, electricity, or internet, especially in rural and tribal regions. 
  • Poor digital literacy among parents and children (only 38% of households in India are digitally literate) also contributes to the learning gap. 
  • Additionally, Unregulated use of social media platforms exposes children to cyberbullying, online harassment, addiction, misinformation, and harmful content. 
    • According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were a total of around 1800 cases of cybercrimes against children in 2022. 
    • Social media can negatively impact self-esteem and mental health, especially among adolescents due to unrealistic comparisons and online peer pressure. 
• Climate Change and Environmental Stress: Extreme weather events, rising temperatures, air pollution, and water scarcity negatively impact children’s health and living conditions. 
  • Climate change increases food insecurity and displacement, which disrupts children’s education and emotional stability. 

What Measures India can take to Improve Child Wellbeing? 

• Strengthening Nutrition and Health Interventions: Expand and improve Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) by enhancing nutrition quality, immunization, health check-ups, and early education to reduce malnutrition and stunting. 
  • Promote Poshan Abhiyaan to reduce undernutrition, while expanding focus on adolescent nutrition and micronutrient supplementation. 
  • Improving maternal and child health requires strengthening care from pregnancy to postnatal stages, promoting institutional deliveries through Janani Suraksha Yojana, and expanding immunization via Mission Indradhanush to reduce mortality and improve child health. 
• Addressing Mental Health: Implement school-based mental health programs by training teachers and counselors to identify and support children facing mental health challenges, inspired by WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). 
  • Strengthen child protection services such as Childline 1098, counseling centers, and rehabilitation services for children affected by abuse or trauma. 
• Digital Literacy: National Digital Literacy Program should integrate cyber safety courses in school curricula ( under NEP 2020).  Train teachers and parents on identifying online risks. 
• Reducing Inequality and Social Exclusion: Implement and strengthen schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to address gender-based disparities. 
  • Expand direct cash transfers and social safety nets to reduce poverty-induced vulnerabilities. 
• Combating Child Abuse and Exploitation: Strict implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2021, and Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation) 1986. Promote community vigilance and reporting mechanisms. 
• Leveraging International Best Practices: Adapt multi-sectoral models like Brazil’s Bolsa Família, which links cash transfers to health and education conditionalities, improving child wellbeing comprehensively. 
  • Follow the recommendations of UNICEF and the World Bank as highlighted in the 'First 1000 Days' campaign, which emphasizes investing in the first 1,000 days of a child's life, recognizing it as the critical window for cognitive and physical development. 
  • India should incorporate child-sensitive climate adaptation strategies, as recommended by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, to safeguard children from environmental risks. 

Conclusion

UNICEF’s findings are a wake-up call for governments worldwide. The report underscores the urgency for comprehensive, child-centric policies that bridge gaps in education, mental health, and nutrition especially for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Without swift and sustained action, an entire generation’s future may be at risk.