Many young people’s mental health suffered during COVID. They need more help

Young people’s mental health and wellbeing suffered during the pandemic, and we do not yet know what the long-term consequences will be. Annette Bauer (LSE) looks at which groups have been most affected and calls for support that extends beyond 2022.

The standard response of most governments to the spread of COVID has been to impose lockdown measures. These have had a particularly disproportionate impact on children’s and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This impact is something that many have argued is unfair, with the virus posing fewer physical health risks to this part of the population.

More generally, the strong focus on the physical impacts of the virus might have inhibited the ability of many, if not all, governments to recognise the impact on mental health and wellbeing that policies such as school closures and social contact restrictions entailed. In the future, a stronger focus on this issue during this pandemic and possible future health emergencies might lead to the development of more balanced and nuanced government measures, including some that prioritise the needs of children and young people.

Learn more in the full article, that was originally published at https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/covid19/2022/02/23/many-young-peoples-health-suffered-during-covid-they-need-more-help/