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A report from the USA says American children are safer today than they were 20 years ago. The study is based on the annual Child Well-Being Index, which has been compiled since 1975. It measures 28 aspects about the quality of life among US children. Perhaps the most promising figure is that child death rates have gone down by a third since 1975. Suicide rates among teens have declined and fewer youngsters are victims of violent crimes. Teen births are at their lowest level in decades. The report says US children are also better educated than they were 20 years ago.

The report highlighted some negatives of the past 20 years. Child health has deteriorated. A major cause of this is the increasing levels of obesity because of poor diet, fast food, and less exercise. Teenagers are spending much longer indoors using technology. This may protect kids from physical dangers outdoors but can harm their health indoors. Child poverty still affects millions of children in the USA. This has not changed in the past 20 years. About 20 per cent of children lived below the poverty line in 2013. This is about the same as it was in 1995.