Effects of lockdown on young people, Phoebe Mills, Darrick Wood Secondary School

Crucial years for young people’s social development and transition into adulthood were highly disrupted by the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns. When students should have been forming social relationships and gaining independence, they were instead shut inside and unable to meet with peers. For many students this also took an incredible toll on their mental health and wellbeing – wait lists for support grow as one in three young people develop anxiety disorders.

Physical and mental isolation from friends and family was difficult for everyone during the pandemic. But for young people, they now also face the difficulty of entering adulthood and socialising without being eased into the experience. For most, the pandemic and lockdown feels like a blip in time, but for many teenagers it feels like lost time. It’s no surprise that young people are developing mental illnesses from the pressure to catch up.

Students have also reported that going back to socialising after the pandemic was difficult, and many found it awkward trying to catch up with societal expectations of social behaviour for their age group, whilst not having had any experience in this. Students also reported increased anxiety over lockdown surrounding the stability of relationships with peers.

For students in their first year of university during the pandemic, online learning and lockdown in student accommodation was not their envisaged ‘uni experience’. Almost 20,000 students are now suing their universities (including UCL and universities in Manchester) over loss of learning and student life over lockdown. These students argue that the online learning with limited interaction from staff and students was not up to scratch for the £9,000 that they paid. Many students say that the social isolation left them feeling ‘empty’.

What could lockdown mean for the future of mental health in adolescents? Could the social isolation and fragmentation lead to more diagnoses of anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia in teenagers? Well, in 2021, one in six young people were diagnosed with a mental health disorder – and only one in three were able to receive treatment. Universities have also been criticised recently for their lack of available mental health and wellbeing support for students as suicide cases reach national news. More work needs to be done to protect the mental health of young people.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, there are many online resources that can help, such as the charity Mind or Young Minds (Mind.org.uk) (Youngminds.org.uk)