One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, progress has gone backward across virtually every key measure of childhood. The number of children who are hungry, isolated, abused, anxious, living in poverty and forced into marriage has increased. At the same time, their access to education, socialization and essential services including health, nutrition and protection has decreased. The signs that children will bear the scars of the pandemic for years to come are unmistakable.
Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, March 2021
Young people have to endure the terrible stress of the coronavirus pandemic alongside age-specific challenges. Depression and anxiety have been reported as increasing for young people under lockdown. In a large Oxford study of parents in the UK, it was found that the behavior of young children has been gradually worsening since the lockdown began. Teenagers face a unique existential dilemma, coming of age in a world in which they may never be allowed to be near another human being. There have been extensive studies with animals which suggest that adolescents require social stimulation for proper brain development.
Save the Children has conducted studies of children and parents in several countries showing that children have experienced a significant rise in boredom, feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression. UNICEF performed a survey of over 7000 households across the Middle East – North Africa region. Over 90% of parents reported that their children have been negatively affected by lockdowns, and over 50% said their children have suffered emotionally because of them. Ted Chaiban, the region’s UNICEF director, commented that “Restrictions on movement and closure of schools had a severe impact on children’s daily routines, their social interactions, and ultimately on their mental well-being.”
Recognizing that “…children and adolescents have sacrificed so much to combat a disease they neither suffer from nor spread,” a group of over 100 mental health experts in Britain published an open letter in the Sunday Times calling for the British government to release young people from the lockdown.
The lockdown exacerbates feelings of entrapment, loneliness, hopelessness and anger, risk factors that can lead to thoughts of self-harm. Mental health problems also contribute to self-destructive thoughts and, since lockdown, surveys from Oxford University show an increase of these issues in young people. Suicide is already the leading cause of death in those aged 5-19 in England.
Open Letter by over 100 mental health professionals published in Sunday TImes
Needless to say, the emotional toll of lockdowns on children is related to their duration. On June 1, 2020, the University of Bath published a comprehensive meta-study on the effects of isolation and depression on children and youth. They concluded that the depression that young people experience as a consequence of the lockdown may affect them many years into the future. They also concluded that the duration of a depressive episode in youth is a greater predictor of future depression in adulthood than the intensity of the episode, reflecting on the importance of a brief lockdown.
Everyday, the importance of liberating children from COVID restrictions becomes increasingly clear. In March 2021, Bradford Royal Infirmary in England reported that it now has seven times the number of children admitted for psychiatric reasons as it had before the lockdown. Their weekly child mental health admissions are now their daily admissions!
- “Children at risk of lasting psychological stress from coronavirus lockdown.” Zenit. May 11, 2020. https://zenit.org/2020/05/11/children-at-risk-of-lasting-psychological-distress-from-coronavirus-lockdown/
- “Expert reaction to paper looking at mental health in children under lockdown in Hubei in China.” Science Media Centre. April 24, 2020. https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-paper-looking-at-mental-health-in-children-under-lockdown-in-hubei-in-china/
- “Impact of children’s loneliness today could manifest in depression for years to come.” University of Bath. Last Modified June 2, 2020. https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/impact-of-childrens-loneliness-today-could-manifest-in-depression-for-years-to-come/
- “Letter to the editor: School shut-out is crushing children.” The Sunday Times. June 14, 2020. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/letter-to-the-editor-school-shut-out-is-crushing-children-nrkd5lgz7
- Leicester, John. “Global rise in childhood mental health issues amid pandemic.” Associated Press. March 11, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/global-rise-childhood-mental-health-pandemic-8392ceff77ac8e1e0f90a32214e7def1
- “UN: Pandemic tough on millions of mideast, NAfrican children.” Associated Press. November 20, 2020. Retrieved from https://oklahoman.com/article/feed/10141381/un-pandemic-tough-on-millions-of-mideast-nafrican-children
- UNICEF. “Across virtually every key measure of childhood, progress has gone backward, UNICEF says as pandemic declaration hits one-year mark.” March 11, 2021. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/across-virtually-every-key-measure-childhood-progress-has-gone-backward-unicef-says