Interview September 2021∣Youth Hong Kong
Catching up on wellness Young childhood is a time of quick learning and development so adaptation is easier for children than for older people. Nevertheless, the pandemic has obviously caused social isolation and has exaggerated drastically a trend that began with heavy use of social media. The problem now is that the environment which is shaping growth and development of children is abnormal. The longterm effects are yet to be seen but they may be more adverse for the kids who find it hard to pick up social skills at school. That doesn’t mean they will necessarily be fearful or more at risk simply because of their younger age. For most youth, after the pandemic, I foresee some adaptation problems. There is no scientific evidence that today’s young people are less adaptable or resilient than previous generations. As usual, some will adapt more easily than others as the “new normal” becomes normal. Special needs children are among those who will face bigger hurdles. There will be problems catching up after such a long period away from their teachers. Special needs training, such as speech therapy and occupational therapy have lapsed too, and that could mean a detrimental lag in rehabilitation progress, especially during the critical preschool period. Another group that will find it hard to catch up will be students from disadvantaged families. There has been less support and fewer resources at home. It will be more difficult for their teachers to help them because they have lost a whole year when their progress would have been tracked in school. The disparity between high and low achievers will become more marked at a stage when resources and exposure to diverse learning opportunities are very important.
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As the effect of the pandemic has been to polarize and exaggerate different kinds of children, so we have also seen more symptoms of depression and anxiety emerge in all age groups. Our habits and activities have been restricted or stopped so the impact has been felt by everyone. However, for those who had mental health issues before pandemic, the effect will be emphasized.
The pandemic has exaggerated drastically the trend of social isolation that began with social media.
