The Carers Trust said the findings show that many young carers end up being cut off from opportunities others have.
One in 10 young carers have missed a test or exam because of their caring responsibilities, according to new polling.
The findings have prompted a charity to call for a specialist staff member in every school, college and university to proactively look out for young carers and ensure they get the right support.
The Carers Trust’s survey, carried out by Opinium, also found that half of young carers spend less than an hour each day seeing friends and taking part in hobbies or other activities, thanks to their role in looking after a loved one.
Of the 350 young carers aged eight to 17 from across the UK, who look after a family member or relative with an illness, disability, addiction or poor mental health, 57% said they spend less than an hour each day doing their homework and 44% said they spend between three and four hours a day on their caring role.
Carers Trust’s chief executive, Kirsty McHugh, said the findings show
that many young carers end up being cut off from opportunities other young people get because they do not have adequate support.
The charity said a young carer lead in every school, college and university would mean a much lower risk of children and teenagers being left to cope with what the organisation described as the sometimes overwhelming challenge of balancing their educational obligations with caring responsibilities.
The charity said the move would not necessarily require a new staff member to be brought in, but rather that an existing worker could be given responsibility specifically for young carers.
Ms McHugh said: “Every aspect of your life can be affected, from how you do in school to whether you can see your friends. This can affect children as young as five and the impact extends all the way into adulthood.
“It’s high time the Government ensured every school and college had a young carer lead trained to identify and support young carers. Given what these young people do for society, that’s the least we can do for them.”
The charity said it had released the survey findings a month into the school year to highlight previous research showing that young carers miss around a month of school each year on average, compared with 13 days for a child without a caring responsibility.
It said the average school time missed could equate to approximately £1.1 billion in future lost earnings.
The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.
