According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Covid-19 can affect children and young people both directly and indirectly. Even if they don’t get sick from Covid-19, the social, emotional and mental health challenges facing them during this tough time may have lasting impacts. Some of these challenges include:
– Changes in their routines (e.g., having to physically distance from family, friends, worship and community)
– Breaks in continuity of learning (e.g., virtual learning environments, technology access and connectivity issues)
– Breaks in continuity of health care (e.g., missed well-child and immunization visits, limited access to mental, speech and occupational health services)
– Missed significant life events (e.g., grief of missing celebrations, vacation plans and/or milestone life events)
– Lost security and safety (e.g., housing and food insecurity, increased exposure to violence and online harms, threat of physical illness and uncertainty for the future)
To help support parents and caregivers, the CDC developed the “Covid-19 Parent Resource Kit: Ensuring Children and Young People’s Social, Emotional and Mental Well-Being”. This kit is available by age group and provides information on what parents and caregivers can do to help their child, along with a variety of age-specific resources. Click on an age group below to access more information:
Early Childhood (0-5 years)
Childhood (6-12 years)
Adolescence (13-17 years)
Young Adulthood (18-24 years)
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Children and Young People’s Social, Emotional and Mental Health”
