I don't know about that, Germany seems to be doing pretty well, generally speaking. Every country has issues, but Germany is still considered a great place to live/work, and it's doubtful that will change anytime soon.
Also, giving children true choice isn't something we should be catering to, for a few reasons. First, children are dumb and don't understand consequences, long term effects, or healthy habits. Second, there are financial reasons we shouldn't be fattening up our kids in a society where we have universal healthcare. There are reasons we have things like an age of consent, a drinking/smoking age, and we don't allow kids to go to war. These are more extreme examples, but the logic behind them is the same.