Are you aware of the impact of COVID-19’s on teens and children? After the outbreak of COVID-19, a lockdown took place where students switched from offline classes to online classes. Outdoor activities are restricted, and they have to adapt to their new lifestyle based on online schooling while being exposed to long hours of screen time. Many teenagers and children suffered from both mental and physical problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their daily routines were tangled and their lives drastically changed. How did this change negatively affect the students? Quarantine imposed restrictions on people’s freedom. Children were kept inside a confined space, leading to a build-up of frustration and loneliness. Also, many teens and children became susceptible to severe anxiety and depression as less person-to-person communication took place. The frequency of suffering depression has severely increased as “one in four children are reporting depression and one in five are reporting anxiety” (McLernon).
Also, students’ physical activities have decreased a lot. The life before COVID-19 when the students would climbed the stairs, moved from class to class, and hangout with their friends had changed. Students are missing out on these opportunities. They started living a sedentary life which increased obesity. According to Noguchi, “obesity increased from 36.2% to 45.7% during the pandemic. Obesity leads to further downsides such as heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, and more.
COVID-19 affects teens and students in severe ways such as mental distress and other health-related issues. Therefore, students need to start setting up a new routine that would balance their health and stress level. Teens and students should increase their physical activities and practice a healthy-diet. It is time to make changes and act for the future.
By. Reea Kim
Works Cited
McLernon, Lianna Matt. “Depression and Anxiety Doubled in Children, Pandemic Study Says.” CIDRAP, www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/08/depression-and-anxiety-doubled-chil dren-pandemic-study-says. Accessed 1 May 2022.
Noguchi, Yuki. “Obesity Rates Rise During Pandemic, Fueled By Stress, Job Loss, Sedentary Lifestyle.” NPR, 29 Sept. 2021, choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/09/2 9/1041515129/obesity-rates-rise-during-pandemic-fueled-by-stress-job-loss-sedentary -lifestyle. Accessed 1 May 2022.