Parents who fail to curb their children’s misbehaviour or overeating in order to have a quiet life are “grossly selfish and irresponsible”, according to David Cameron.

The Conservative leader said that all adults — parents as well as strangers — should have a duty and the authority to tackle badly behaved youths, as he started an inquiry into the quality of childhood.

The campaign to restore adult authority over out-of-con-trol children is part of a strategy to make the Conservatives the champions of social revival in Britain. It comes after a United Nations report claimed that Britain was the worst country in the developed world to grow up in, with endemic family breakdown, poor education and rampant juvenile crime

The childhood inquiry, to be chaired by David Willetts, the Shadow Education Secretary, will look for ways to strengthen the family, improve schools, encourage more flexible working and alleviate child poverty. It will try to cut the health and safety “red tape on childhood”, which Mr Willetts said was preventing young people enjoying “vivid lives and everyday adventures”.

Speaking in Manchester at the start of the inquiry, Mr Cameron attacked parents who failed to look after their children properly. He said: “If a child is eating too much, it’s the duty of a parent to stop it happening. Allowing harmful behaviour as the price of a quiet life is grossly selfish and irresponsible. Being a good parent isn’t just a gift to your child but to the whole of society.”

He added: “Children learn their morals and their manners from their parents. And that means both parents — including fathers.”

Mr Cameron made clear that responsibility did not rest with the parents alone, and that other adults must be given the authority to step in and stop misbehaviour. His comments echo growing alarm that adults have become too frightened of children who they see misbehaving. Parents who fail to curb their children’s misbehaviour or overeating in order to have a quiet life are “grossly selfish and irresponsible”, according to David Cameron.

“Communities have an important role in bringing up children. Collective disapproval is a powerful tool in regulating behaviour and establishing social norms. If children are misbehaving, we should say something. If we’re met by a volley of abuse, then other adults have a duty to intervene. We don’t want to live in a walk-on-by society” he said.

He also said that businesses must accept responsibility not to harm young people with violent video games or sexualised children’s clothes.

Mr Cameron believes that the coming election battle will be over quality of life issues.

He said yesterday: “The great challenge for the 1970s and 1980s was economic revival. The great challenge in this decade and the next is social revival.”

However, Beverley Hughes, the Minister for Children, said: “David Cameron has shown again that he is all style and no substance. What his policy group won’t tell you is that Cameron has voted against Labour’s flexible working legislation and investment in education.”

Times Recommends

• Donor organ allowed child’s own heart to heal
• Michael Jackson: Not the final chapter
• Sacha Baron Cohen forced to tone down Brüno