Around one in four children living under COVID-19 situation are dealing with feelings of anxiety because of lockdowns, social restrictions, and school closures. Many of then are at risk of lasting psychological distress, including depression.
In recent studies by Save the Children, 6000 children and parents took part in United States, Germany, Finland, Spain, and the UK. Among them, around 65% of the children coped with boredom and feelings of isolation. Save the Children also talked with a supplementary 60 children in Nicaragua and 68 children in Indonesia, where findings were also comparable.
Several countries are gradually beginning to lift lockdowns. But still, most of the schools to remain closed—affecting almost 1.3 billion children and students worldwide, And also strict social limitations are expected to remain in place across the globe.
This situation leaves children and youth who are already at risks such as those living in challenging home environments or children who are lacking social support or whose families are already facing poverty —especially vulnerable
Save the Children is calling on all governments to prioritize and invest in children’s mental health, wellbeing and learning as part of their response to the outbreak.
