• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Whoobly

Parenting & Childcare Help, Tips & Advice

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on LinkedIn
  • Pregnancy & Birth
  • Babies
  • Newborns & Infants
  • Toddlers
  • Pre-School
  • School Age
  • Teenagers

You are here: Home / Covid-19 / COVID And Children – The Pandemic’s Impact On The Young

COVID And Children – The Pandemic’s Impact On The Young

10th February 2021 By Admin Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share6
6 Shares
COVID And Children - The Pandemic's Impact On The Young 1

The 0-18 age group is an overlooked population of COVID victims. That may be due to the fact that when they contract COVID, they are likely to survive it, with little to no serious effects in their systems (unless they have an underlying illness). However, this pandemic has affected them in other ways, ways that play a direct role in their developing minds. There have been reports of rising levels of abuse, neglect, and an increase in consultations for mental health problems.

Indeed, this generation will grow up with the devastating aftermath of the virus in tow, as they come of age and become the nation’s workforce.

Closure of schools

Schools are vital in child development. While home-schooling is an option, school is not just a place for learning technical knowledge. It is where children also learn social, interpersonal, and emotional skills. During the Education Select Committee, Prof. Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, warned that children across the board felt a range of negative emotions from isolation, loneliness, sleeping problems, and reduced physical activity.

Increased incidents of abuse

To some children, schools also serve as a refuge away from troubled homes. With lockdown guidelines and stay-at-home orders, they are stuck at home in households with parents affected by one or all the “toxic trios” – domestic abuse, substance dependency, and severe mental health issues. There were 285 reports by councils on child deaths and serious harm in April and September 2020 alone. This is alarming because the number has increased to more than a quarter of the same period in the previous year. In England and Wales, there are 2 million vulnerable children living in these households. With the rules and social workers and health visitors being unable to visit and check up on them, there is a great chance that this rate will increase if it hasn’t already.

Increased mental and emotional distress

The pandemic has also added stress to family life. With many businesses closing down, many people have lost their jobs and become forced to look for other means of employment. Financial insecurity has added strain to a household already worried about contracting such a contagious virus and not being allowed to go out and socialise with their friends to de-stress. This is especially important for adolescents, whose core group is their peers. In fact, the amount of counselling for loneliness has increased since the pandemic started. The NSPCC, which provides a Childline service, reports that cases have risen by 10%. Adolescents usually call in, expressing that they feel sad and lonely.

This is for children and adolescents with relatively normal mental health. What about the impact on those with mental health disorders?

The latest findings of the Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2020 report state that overall, one in six children aged 5-16 years old have a probable mental health disorder. Their 2017 report stated it was only one in nine children of the above-mentioned age group.

Risk factors include family tensions, financial concerns, feeling isolated from friends, and fear about the virus.

Older teenagers and young adults (16-25-year-olds) have also reported the mental and emotional toll of the virus. As non-essential businesses keep closing, and the surviving ones have halted hiring to keep them afloat, there is a marked decrease in their prospects. It is no surprise then, that according to the Youth Index, published by the Prince’s Trust, more than half of them always or often felt anxious – the highest level ever recorded. According to Jonathan Townsend of the Prince’s Trust, they were “losing all hope for their future.|

Decreased health visits

Lockdown rules and increasing cases have also decreased health visiting services. Health visitors, such as specialist nurses are asked to help out an overwhelmed COVID front line. In some areas, there has been a decrease of at least 50% in health visitor numbers. These services are essential to check a child’s well-being, especially in the first 1,001 days.

Lack of social development for infants

The 1,001 days agenda believes that the first two to three years of life are the most crucial human development period. There are even various psychological theories that suggest that the core of personality develops at this stage.

Not only are babies not properly monitored by health visits, but they can also not develop healthy social contact that comes from interacting with other babies.

Head of Institute of Health Visiting Alison Morton states that this will have a lasting impact on child development, especially in areas with the least access for these services.

Isolation for children living with special educational needs and disabilities

The lack of available carers and specialist workers for these children also create more significant challenges for them and their families. Assistance is challenging to come by because specialists are called to the COVID front lines, and charities have cut back on their support networks. Additionally, the more immunocompromised their conditions are, the more their physical and social contact is restricted, which may make them feel more alone, frustrated, and likely to act out.

Children who require specialised classes also find it difficult to learn their lessons online, which schools have also struggled to create a fine balance.

While the UK governments have said they acknowledge and have prioritised this problem, it is not enough. In the first place, research has already shown that even before the pandemic child, mental health services are already severely lacking, with only one in three children getting the support they need. And it may grow worse due to the pandemic’s effects on accessing services and mental health.

Many people are quick to dismiss the impact on children, believing they are more likely to bounce back and adaptable to change. However, Sunil Bhopal, a child health care expert at Newcastle University, disagrees. He believes that growing up in a world where “going to the playground with your friends to play is illegal,” is emotionally damaging.

Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, agrees, and that the governments must work on coming up with solutions that prioritise dealing with the needs of this vulnerable population.

Related Posts:

  • Helping children with hay fever
    Helping children with hay fever
  • 10 Things That Are Now Illegal And Your Partner Could Be Breaking The Law
    10 Things That Are Now Illegal And Your Partner…
  • Therapeutic Parenting – A Nurturing Solution for Children with Trauma
    Therapeutic Parenting – A Nurturing Solution for…
  • Mothers claim Aldi baby wipes have caused severe rashes and blisters
    Mothers claim Aldi baby wipes have caused severe…
  • Hearing Loss in Children
    Hearing Loss in Children
  • 10 Principles on Raising Children of Character
    10 Principles on Raising Children of Character
  • A New Headteacher Introduces Saturday Detentions to Fight Poor Attendance and Parents Have to Attend Too
    A New Headteacher Introduces Saturday Detentions to…
  • Having a Baby In a COVID-19 Lockdown
    Having a Baby In a COVID-19 Lockdown
Tweet
Share
Pin
Share6
6 Shares

Filed Under: Covid-19, Family Matters, Health & Development, Learning & Education

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Toxic Parenting

Breaking The cycle of Toxic Parenting

2nd November 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

how to be a successful single mother

4 Ways To Drive Away the Stress Factor from Single Motherhood

25th September 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Foster Parenting

Planning To Go The Foster Parenting Way?

14th September 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Narcissistic Parents

6 Solid Reasons to Stop Being Narcissistic Parents

11th September 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Helicopter Parenting

Why Helicopter Parenting is a Bad Idea?

2nd September 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

tips on how to raise a boy

Top 5 Reasons Childcare Practitioners Leave The Child Care Profession

2nd September 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Parenting Classes

Benefits of Attending Parenting Classes

31st August 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

best childcare help in the UK

Therapeutic Parenting – A Nurturing Solution for Children with Trauma

29th August 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

effective parenting skills online

Attachment Parenting – 8 Steps to Bringing Up Well-Rounded Children

26th August 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

effective parenting skills online

A Parents Guide To Internet Safety For Kids

11th August 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Gifts For 5 Year Olds

The Perfect Gifts For 5 Year Olds

23rd July 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Helicopter Parent

Are You A Helicopter Parent?

23rd July 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

kids goggles

Our Top 5 Best Kids Swimming Goggles

20th July 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

dinosaur

Our Top 5 Dinosaur Toys For Kids

16th July 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

fruits

Our Best 5 Baby Food Maker

27th June 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

wooden chair

Our Best 5 Table and Chair For Kids?

22nd June 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

toys

Our Top 5 Favourite Baby Bath Toys

10th June 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

black bag

What’s Our Top 4 Best Baby Bag Backpack???

31st May 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Best Baby Car Seat

What Is The Best Baby Car Seat?

17th May 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

kitchen

What is the best Kids Play Kitchen?

11th May 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

Our Top 5 Baby Play Gyms

What Is The Best Baby Play Gym?

4th May 2020 By Admin Leave a Comment

TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
TOTS100

Whoobly.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Copyright © 2021 · SEO & Design By Davlic Media Ltd ·