Covid lockdowns had a ‘catastrophic’ impact on children’s social and emotional skills, say half of parents

Nearly half of parents said their children’s social and emotional skills deteriorated during the Covid-19 pandemic, a large survey found.

Adults whose jobs were disrupted by the crisis, including those on furlough, were more likely to report that their children had developmental problems.

Young people between the ages of four and seven were significantly more likely (52 percent) to be affected than 12- to 15-year-olds (42 percent), the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) study reported.

Campaigners reacted furiously to the findings, blaming Covid lockdowns and school closures for having a ‘catastrophic’ impact on Britain’s young people.

The IFS surveyed 6,095 parents in England with children aged four to 16 about the impact of the first year of the pandemic.

Campaigners reacted furiously to the findings, blaming Covid lockdowns and school closures for having a “catastrophic” impact on Britain’s young people.

It turned out that nearly half (48 percent) reported that their sons and daughters’ social and emotional skills were deteriorating.

Children whose parents had been granted leave were “significantly more likely to have a deterioration in their social-emotional skills than children whose parents had not received leave (51 percent versus 45 percent).”

Researchers said that the social and emotional skills of children whose parents had stable labor market experiences during the pandemic – whether their parents were out of work or out of work all the time – “held up better, on average, than the skills of children whose families with more economic instability’.

But they found no evidence that children from underprivileged families fared worse, contrary to previous research on lost academic learning.

The IFS study was designed to screen for emotional or behavioral problems.

The questions focused on whether parents considered their children “easily frightened,” “constantly fidgeting or squirming,” or “generally obedient.”

Responding to the report, Arabella Skinner, of parent campaign group UsForThem, said children became “collateral damage” during the pandemic.

She said: “The pandemic policy did not consider the impact on children.”

Ms Skinner added: ‘There were many occasions where warnings were ignored and children were basically collateral damage.

“It is an unavoidable fact that the development of many of our children has been adversely affected by the pandemic restrictions.”

And she insisted: “The government needs to act now – they need to support all the services that support our children and make sure this never happens again.”

Tory MP Esther McVey added: ‘We must now accept and learn from the magnitude of the damage school closures and lockdowns have done.

Researchers said that the social and emotional skills of children whose parents had stable labor market experiences during the pandemic – whether their parents were employed or unemployed – “held up better, on average, than the skills of children whose families experienced more economic instability ‘ (file image)

Not just for those who were in school or university at the time, but for babies born during the lockdown and the toddlers who were isolated as groups and classes for those crucial first months were halted and even parks and playgrounds closed.

“This was catastrophic and affected mental and physical well-being across the board.”

The findings come a year after Ofsted’s superintendent raised concerns about the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children.

In 2022, Amanda Spielman reported that an increasing number of young children are unable to understand facial expressions – which was believed to be a side effect of fewer social interactions.

She also found that fewer children had learned to go to the toilet on their own, compared to similar numbers reported before the pandemic.

Andrew McKendrick, IFS research economist and author of the new report, said: ‘During the Covid-19 pandemic, children of all backgrounds have seen their social and emotional skills deteriorate significantly.

“Kids went through a lot of changes during these years: school closures, lack of contact with friends and family, and potentially devastating serious illness or death of loved ones.

“Our research shows that another major cause of children’s declining skills was the economic disruptions experienced by their parents, whether or not those disruptions led to a major loss of income.”

Mr. McKendrick explained: “With the cost of living crisis currently impacting the budgets of many families, our findings are a reminder that economic uncertainty can impact multiple generations.”

After the publication of the damning study, Children’s Commissioner Rachel de Souza said: ‘I am deeply concerned about the findings of this study of children’s social and emotional skills.

“This study shows that the disruption to children’s development caused by the pandemic is long-lasting.

“It is vital that the right social and emotional support is available to give children the chance to recover and achieve everything they want.”