♪
♪ COVID put our emotions d-d-down ♪
♪ talking ‘bout my generation ♪
♪ COVID tried to close schools down ♪
♪ my generation ♪
♪ ♪
Yep, it's been two years of being in pandemic mode.
And it hasn't been easy for anyone, especially kids.
That's why some people are calling the youth of today
the COVID Generation
or Generation COVID.
Gen-C for short.
But, what does it mean?
And how has the COVID-19 pandemic
affected kids like you and me?
This is
So let's start with the basics.
On March 11th, 2020 the World Health Organization
declared a pandemic because of the spread of the novel
coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
That same month, schools across Canada
started closing their doors and kids transitioned to virtual
and at-home learning.
Back then, we had no idea how long
this pandemic was going to last.
Between March 2020 and March 2022
the government has counted over 3.3 million cases
of COVID-19 in Canada.
And over 36,000 deaths.
Worldwide, one study estimates that over five million kids
lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19.
From the loss of family members
to the uncertainty of school closures,
kids have been dealing with a lot.
And experts say it's taken a toll on this generation.
Hence our topic of discussion.
You may have heard the term Generation COVID,
or Gen-C, being thrown around during the pandemic.
But what does it mean?
Gen-C is a label that has been given to kids
who have had part of their childhood
affected by the pandemic.
It can include babies who were born in the past two years,
all the way up to people who started college
under COVID-19 restrictions.
While experts are divided about what ages should be
included in this group, the one thing they all agree on
is that COVID-19 has had big effects on young people.
Some kids might not want to be restricted to a label,
but generational labelling has been happening
since the early 1900s.
Generations are often defined by shared experiences.
One example is “The Greatest Generation” -
kids who grew up during the Great Depression
and the Second World War.
Generational labelling can be used to categorize
trends, lifestyles, and political views.
Researchers can look at those trends
to help better understand what different age groups want
or need and to make predictions about the future.
To better understand what has been going on
with the kids of Gen-C, I spoke with three experts.
Hi, I'm Dr. Jennifer Crosbie.
I'm a clinical psychologist and researcher
at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Hello, everyone. My name is Joseph Smith
and I'm a high school administrator.
My name is Sara Austin.
I'm the founder and CEO of Children First Canada.
The first area where Gen-C was hit the hardest?
Well-being.
According to Jennifer Crosbie, 70 per cent of kids
her research team studied said they were feeling
more anxiety, had worse moods, more irritability,
and more difficulties with inattention or hyperactivity.
Many of those effects can be linked to social isolation.
As kids transitioned from
in-person learning to virtual learning,
they experienced a lack of in-person connections,
especially with other kids their own age.
Recreational activities
and opportunities to socialize are a...
Really important part of emotional well-being.
Another area of concern?
Physical activity.
Or... the lack of it.
Crosbie's team of researchers found that
over the course of the past two years,
increased screen time had a variety of negative impact
on kids' moods and behaviours.
Kids who were active before the pandemic
and kids who had access to activities during the pandemic
did better overall, according to research.
And it doesn't all have to be sports either.
Any activity that gets us off the couch
or away from doom scrolling can help.
That's why Crosbie says that families should make plans
to go outside, participate in activities,
and have good social interactions with people.
Minus the screens.
Next?
Online school.
Obvs.
Going virtual was a necessity
for many students throughout the pandemic.
But, research shows that lots of kids were...
Dramatically less successful in the online form
as opposed to the in-person space.
Smith also points out that some groups of young people
were worse affected than others.
For example, kids from lower income families,
newcomers with language barriers, and BIPOC kids.
Research shows that families who were struggling
before the pandemic, struggled even more during the pandemic.
So some kids have had a much harder time than others.
Which means some are going to be better equipped
to return to school, and to move on but that...
Not everybody's ready for the return
and not everybody is able to deal
with all the things being thrown at them.
So how can kids get help
if they're feeling behind in school?
Kids should seek out help from their school
and see if there are special services being offered.
At Joseph Smith's high school for example...
There are all sorts of tutoring services being developed
and designed to uniquely cater to this particular issue.
Some of this help can include course credit recovery,
peer-to-peer mentorship, and counselling.
If you're feeling a little rusty,
[creaking]
there's nothing to be ashamed of.
Everyone works at their own pace.
Asking for help is the best way to get help.
[ding]
As restrictions lift, it can start to feel like
things are getting “back to normal.”
And while that can feel really good,
it can also be kind of scary.
[woman screams]
First off, let's just say this loud and clear.
The past two years have been really hard.
And it's OK to not feel ready
about things going back to normal and to still feel
a bit weird about things opening up.
As restrictions come down, that also means masks are coming off.
It can be pretty exciting for a lot of people.
Woo!
♪ [upbeat rock]
[crowd cheers]
But some groups are concerned that mask mandates
might be coming down too fast.
The Canadian paediatric society
and many children's health organizations have urged
governments to delay the lifting of masking mandates in schools
because of the harms that could be caused to children.
Some worry that lifting mandates while many kids still aren't
fully vaccinated could risk exposing children to COVID-19.
And as different people have different levels of comfort,
it's important to not put pressure on each other.
People, I think, really should
kind of move at their own pace.
Things don't have to go back to pre-COVID norms just like that.
[snaps fingers]
If you feel anxious, you can ease in.
Crosbie says kids can start small,
like going out with family.
Make a plan, do the plan,
and then build on it as you get more comfortable.
Another piece of advice is to reach out to people you trust
and talk about how you're feeling.
It can be anyone: family and friends,
a teacher or a coach,
and also medical and mental health professionals.
And if you're struggling with your mental health issues
in particular to not delay seeking help.
Because your life matters.
There will be many programs and supports
that kids and families will need moving forward.
One of the main areas will be in mental wellness.
Mental health help can be hard to access.
That was true before the pandemic and has become
even more difficult as more kids and families seek help.
In just the first few months of the pandemic,
the Kids Help Phone reported
a 350 per cent increase in calls.
Crosbie says that hospitals like Sick Kids need more resources
and strategies to identify who needs help earlier.
Some are calling on all levels of government to do more.
I think there've been a lot of good intentions by
public policy leaders at all levels, but sadly
I think kids have been left far behind.
It's time to put kids at the heart
of our pandemic recovery plans.
As for the future?
More research and studies will continue
even once the pandemic is declared officially over.
As Generation COVID grows up,
we may see more ripple effects from the pandemic.
I think as we move forward in five or ten years,
it'll be interesting to reflect on what the impact was overall,
and there probably will be some kind of big group based impacts
on those kids and youth.
Like all of us, I don't know what the future holds,
but we're not the first generation
to go through tough times.
And it's nice to remember that none of us are in this alone.
For now, I will be doing my best to be considerate
of the feelings and the comfort levels of those around me
as we all deal with the losses of the past two years
in our own ways.
That's it for
For
The information in this video is based on research
and conversations with experts.
Thank you to Jennifer Crosbie,
Joseph Smith,
and Sara Austin.
Information and background research came from sources like
Sick Kids Hospital, The Government of Canada,
Nature
Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
and the Stanford Center on Longevity.
♪ ♪