Covid-19: Children’s mental health ‘sidelined’ during pandemic

Leading child rights advocates say the mental health of children must be urgently addressed.

Almost 70 per cent of children surveyed said they will need a mental health check upon their return to school after lengthy lockdowns forced students to learn from home in Victoria and NSW Picture: Cade Mooney

The mental health of children and teenagers has been sidelined during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving many feeling unprepared for the next academic year, leading child rights advocates say.

Of 1000 students from year 3 to year 11 polled by UNICEF Australia across the country in the past two weeks, about a quarter of secondary students surveyed said they did not feel academically ready to start a new grade next year.

As well, 68 per cent felt they needed a mental health check upon their return to school after lengthy lockdowns forced students to learn from home in Victoria and NSW in particular.

UNICEF Australia child rights director Nicole Breeze said a nat­ional children’s plan that would target the specific needs of young people must be developed otherwise they faced ongoing health, economic and social consequences. “Children and young people have been overlooked in the recovery plan and we cannot delay addressing their needs any longer,” she said.

“We have given attention to the needs of adults and now we must elevate children’s priorities, action them with urgency and ensure we place children at the heart of policymaking for the years ahead.

“They are struggling with their mental health and they have less hope for the future. (The pandemic) has exacerbated existing in­equalities in Australia, including a digital divide.”

According to the data, 49 per cent of students felt they learnt less during homeschooling compared with face-to-face classes.

More than half, 53 per cent, said they would need a tutor in term four while 47 per cent said they would attend extra lessons over the summer holidays to catch up if they could.

About a quarter said their schools had failed to ask whether they needed help with learning during lockdown or how they were feeling.

Sixty-nine per cent of secondary students said they supported mandatory mental health checks when they returned to school while 67 per cent supported voluntary checks.

National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said priorities of children had taken a hit during the past 19 months. “Covid policy (has) focused primarily on adults. Many children are struggling with learning and mental health, and safety concerns are likely to become increasingly apparent as children return to school,” she said. “Now as was climb out of Covid lockdowns, we need to listen to children and act to support their safety, development and wellbeing.”

Sydney-based year 7 student Madi Ganas said she had benefited from online learning because her autism made it difficult to engage in forced socialising at school, but felt her mental health was generally “not OK” during the pandemic.