Childhood in Essex | Essex Open Data

Childhood in Essex

The world children and young people are growing up in today has substantially changed from the childhood of previous generations. As such, it’s important for decision makers to put themselves in the shoes of current children and young people, to understand the new opportunities and challenges that they face - as the decisions made now will shape their futures.

This research aims to aid system partners in decision making and inform the development of polices, strategies and interventions aimed at improving the overall wellbeing of children and young people in Essex. We want the insights from this research to influence decisions so that they are better aligned to the needs and wants of our young people.

The two main areas of focus for the research were:

1. To explore and bring to life the everyday realities of children and young people living in Essex today.

2. To examine how childhood has changed compared to their parents.

The project was endorsed by the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership Board and carried out by the Research & Citizen Insight team at Essex County Council, yet its remit goes beyond any organisational boundary. It is relevant to any individual or organisation that works directly with or supports children, young people and families, in Essex and beyond.

Who we engaged with

To explore the topics from a range of perspectives, we adopted a multi-perspective, mixed-method approach. This generated an exceptionally rich and robust evidence base of qualitative data. We engaged with children and young people (9 to 18 years), parents and professionals.

Findings at a glance

Childhood in Essex is experienced in many different ways for children and young people (CYP), shaped by factors such as stability of family relationships and friendships, socio-economic background, educational experiences, and where they live. Despite these factors, this research has uncovered many areas of common ground in what childhood looks like today.

CYP often share common core values: relationships with family and friends are vitally important, they enjoy music, being active, and spending time with their friends. They have aspirations for their future careers and lifestyles - even while they are still ‘figuring things out’.

However, the context in which CYP are growing up today is very different from that of their parents and grandparents. These societal changes affect all aspects of their lives.

This research identified four key shifts in childhood that CYP, parents and professionals are having to navigate in the modern world:

1. The rapid rise in the use of technology and social media

2. Greater access to information and news, including awareness of more ‘adult’ topics

3. A reduction of independence and an increase in safety concerns

4. A rise in mental health and emotional wellbeing challenges

Exploring the everyday realities of today’s children and young people uncovered details around how they spend their time, who matters to them, who inspires and influences them, how they experience their education and what their hopes and dreams are for the future.

Throughout the research, CYP, parents and professionals shared suggestions for what could improve the lives of CYP in a changing world. These fall into three key areas:

1. Engage with and listen to children and young people

2. Create more activities and safe spaces for children and young people

3. Greater access to timely and preventative mental health support

Find out more

For full details, explore our research outputs:

Childhood in Essex evidence overview (March 2024) - below
Final report (October 2025) – below
Presentation slides from the Childhood in Essex online event (15 October 2025) – below
10-minute film (October 2025): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NIGtIyVc3E
3-minute ‘taster’ film (October 2025): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQPtTYlQvIU