Not much has altered over the years for many children. They live in loving households, do well at school and get on.

The only way in which we are letting our children down is in their health. Instead of being kicked out to play, children are more prone to live sedentary lifestyles in front of screens. Virtual friends have replaced blood and skin type. Childhood obesity is a huge concern.

For the past five hundred years, life expectancy in The UK has slowly increased and rather dramatically in more recent generations. However, with junk food and parents not taught the skills of cooking fresh food, their health is at risk, storing problems for later. Today's children are at risk, according to public health bodies of having a lower life expectancy than their parents.

That is a very sobering thought.

Regarding physical abuse, that has lowered dramatically. Today's children have far more people looking out for them. Whether through school, contact with the health service or others, signs of abuse are picked up more frequently and social services don't have a problem with unmet need, they struggle to keep up with demand, given their dwindling resources. That said, the at risk registers nationally are lower as a percentage of all children versus only ten years ago.

Reading newspapers may be entertaining but the office for national statistics publish far more interesting and factual information.