It is somewhat stating the obvious but COVID-19 as a whole, not just lockdown, will have had a profound effect on our children. What the effects may be could range from frustration and bored to serious mental health issues. As parents it is really important to be aware of this and how children, teens and young adults may be feeling.

Please remember that if you feel your child is in crisis or may be likely to hurt themselves or those around them please seek professional help.

Consequences

As mentioned already, the long-term consequences for children of all ages of this pandemic is unknown. For some it may not register for a while, others are struggling right now. It is really important that parents are up to speed on the signs of mental health issues. But it is also important that people who look after children also help create an environment at home that is open and allows them to talk about feelings, fears and issues. For parents and guardians of younger children it is a great time to work on creating a space where the family unit talks about feelings and fears. This will help them understand talking is positive and help later in life. For people looking after older kids and young adults; be aware they may have lost the peer group outlet and talking to grownups may not feel natural. This is something to work on and try to improve if you can.

There are a lot of Covid related issues being felt by children and young people right now. These can vary from simply missing friends and school life to feeling isolated and scared.

Scared of catching Covid

While many adults appreciate and understand how unlikely it is for younger people to be severely affected by Covid that doesn’t stop the worry for lots of kids. The news can be immensely powerful and seeing people in masks everywhere can be distressing. It is crucial to be aware of adult behaviour too. Some parents are very worried, and they are taking extreme precautions which is, unintentionally, passing undue fear onto children. While it is very sensible to follow guidelines, it may not be wise to go further than the stated guidance. It is also important to try and make light of it with young kids, making a game of choosing a fun mask and washing hands is better than suggesting the virus is out there to get everyone. Fear can have a profound effect on young kids.

Social interaction

Many young teens and older children are suffering because of missing that important interaction with peers. It is a period where they develop social skills, work out how to behave and interact. Doing this via Zoom is not ideal so it is important to talk to your children about this and try to allow them planned walks and whatever safe interaction you can do under the guidelines. Don’t forget the younger ones too! A 6-year-old needs their friends too and the lack of interaction, especially for an only child is something to consider and try to mitigate as much as possible.

Screen Time

There is no doubt screen time has become an escape for adults and children during lockdown. It can bring a huge amount of freedom with games like Minecraft as well as simply being able to communicate. But screen time can cause other issues. Sleep patterns can suffer which can lead to other issues. Try these five ideas for screen free activities.

Bullying and inappropriate content can play a role in creating negative feelings too so screen time needs to be monitored. Whilst screens can be a positive escape its important to be aware of what is happening on the screen and engage with children about it. Let them show you what they are building or videos they are watching, engage, talk and be aware. Conspiracy theories and misinformation are also a major threat to the mental well being of young people. Be aware of what they are reading and be ready to discuss and refute as well as support. Shouting down different ideas is not a good solution, work with them to find a more rational answer.

Adults Suffering Too

It’s not just the kids suffering. Adults are scared, worried about money and jobs, worried about their children and the world in general. This is normal but trying to keep that separate from the younger people in the house can be important. Our behaviour affects the children in the household. In the same way our mental health problems can be passed on so to can our anxiety and worry about COVID-19. Of course, these things need to be talked about but where possible try and keep things positive. Once again, misinformation and conspiracy theories can be very damaging. Even if you hold certain believes it is worth considering keeping them private.

The Future

We will get through this and there will be a removal of restrictions. The key is to keep ourselves and our children safe and that means mentally as well as physically. Talking, being open and discussing feelings, worries and issues like anxiety is important. Creating a home where a young person can say they are feeling depressed and looking for solutions either via a healthcare professional or good online advice is critical.

Stay safe and stay positive!