The majority of Irish 13-year-olds are healthy and have settled well into secondary school despite disruptions experienced during Covid-19.
The latest Growing Up In Ireland report looked at the lives of 6,375 13-year-olds from across the country between July 2021 and June 2022.
The majority of 13-year-olds were healthy, felt supported by friends and family, and participated in a range of pastimes.
However, 21% of girls reported experiencing 'low mood', compared to 8% of boys.
The 13-year-olds who took part in the study, said they were most likely to turn to a parent for help with a problem. 83% would go to their mother or father for support, with 78% confiding in a friend, 44% going to a sibling. 39% said they'd go to a grandparent for advice, while 30% said they'd talk to a teacher.
The report also found 44% travel to school by car, 26% on a school bus, 21% walk and 4% travel by public transport. 4% cycled to school but travel patterns varied depending on how far from school children lived.
The Growing Up in Ireland study was established in 2006 and is currently tracking the lives of two groups of young people. Cohort ’98 who were born in 1998 and are now 25 years of age and Cohort ’08 who were born in 2008 and are now 15 years of age.
A new 'infant cohort' will be recruited in 2024, with parents being interviewed when their babies are nine-months old.
