Teenagers in the UK are currently a debt-fearful lot, a recently released survey showed.

More than half of teenagers are entertaining the worry that their parents might get into debt because of extra spending in the run-up to Christmas.

The new report by Barnado's also showed that girls were more worried than boys about owing money themselves.

The study conducted a survey of 1,000 teenagers and the results revealed that one in four had skipped or missed a meal because of lack of money.

Barnardo's chief executive said: "We are driven to accept that poverty and debt are concerns for adults, but the depth of UK poverty is such that children fret about it and particularly about parental debt. So much for a contented and peaceful Christmas."

The children's charity has developed a film, the 'Teens' Speech', which highlights teenagers' fear of poverty and crime. It also explores their views on politics and sex. The move will appear on social networks MySpace and YouTube shortly.