Friends and going swimming more important for teens than money

According to new research, children aged 10-15 in families with a lower income were no less happy than those with higher-earning parents.

A study by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex found that using the internet can be beneficial, but only for up to an hour a day as anything more can affect important social activities, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

The study on 5,000 children from families with an average monthly income of 1,144 pounds found girls aged between 10 and 12 are the happiest group of children, while those aged 12-15 are the least happy.

"The results suggest that family income and income-based measures of poverty are not associated with child life satisfaction," the report said.

The study showed that improvement in material possessions may do little to influence a child's wellbeing, while having friends around for tea, going swimming and a secure home life can have a good impact.

Income can play its part, however, as some aspects of life that are linked to wealth, such as having your own bedroom or a bike can improve happiness.

"Life satisfaction is increasingly recognised as a desirable outcome both for individuals at all stages of the life-cycle and for policymaking," the report adds.

"There is of course some common sense that, just like adults, children will value having positive relationships with their family and peers, performing well at the tasks presented to them, being healthy and having food and shelter.

"This implies that improvements on this child poverty measure may not represent real improvements in quality of life as they are perceived by children themselves," researchers said.