Pandemic policies overlooked long-term needs of children

As young people weren't considered to be at high risk from Covid-19 directly, pandemic policy decisions largely ignored their needs and resulted in their long-term detriment, finds a global consortium of universities led by UCL researchers. The report, titled "The Impact of COVID-19 on Education, Food & Play-Leisure and Related Adaptations for Children and Young People," outlines how slow government action and policy gaps in efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19 had negative impacts on children and young people's health and welfare. The report is part of the first stage of the PANEX-Youth research project which aims to understand how young people adapted to Covid-19 and to assess the impacts in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. It is jointly funded by the ESRC, the NRF and FAPESP and brings together researchers from UCL and the University of Birmingham in the UK, University of the Free State and University of Fort Hare in South Africa and the University of São Paulo in Brazil. It's divided into two volumes: the "International and National Overviews" volume highlights the wider impacts of the pandemic on children across the world, while the "International Overview" volume drills down on the impacts on three countries, the UK, South Africa and Brazil. As a result of the social isolation and economic disruption caused by lockdowns, children and young people's educations were stunted, their access to nutritious food was reduced and their ability to develop socially through play was significantly restricted.