The coronavirus pandemic has so far resulted in three national lockdowns in the UK. With the implementation of social distancing, people have been encouraged to stay at home and, for the last year, most activities have had to be conducted online from home, or not at all. For children, the pandemic has meant that large portions of their day are spent online, as this allows them to socialise with friends and play games, and much of the year has been spent using remote learning for school lessons.
In April 2020, the United Nations' Children's Fund (2020) released a report on the potential impact of COVID-19 on children's online activity. This report highlighted the heightened risks for children globally, as a result of the increased time they would be spending online during lockdown and remote learning. The risks included greater exposure to cyberbullying or potentially harmful content, and the limited safeguarding put in place by schools.
As the prevalence of online communication and social media has increased, cyberbullying has also become more widespread (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2018). Cyberbullying among children and teenagers is associated with depressive symptoms, substance use, ideation and suicide attempts (Bottino et al, 2015).
In June last year, Holmes et al (2020) published a set of multidisciplinary research priorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, put together by an interdisciplinary group of 24 world-leading experts. The priorities were to focus on action for mental health science, as it was anticipated that lockdown and social distancing would have far-reaching effects on mental health, including those from increased exposure to cyberbullying and other negative online experiences. This publication noted that children and young people should be considered a population of interest when researching the impact of the pandemic on mental health, as they were likely to experience the effects of lockdown more severely than the general population.
The impact of COVID-19 on young people
Increased time spent online
There have been a number of reports analysing the impact of COVID-19 on young people, including the possible effects of increased time spent online and on social media. The Cybersmile Foundation (2020) Digital Wellbeing report presented the results of interviewing 1000 children in the UK aged 12–16 years old in May 2020. It was evident that children were spending more time on digital devices and the internet, an inevitable outcome of remote learning and lockdown. The majority (72%) of participants reported that they spent 3–8 hours online each day during the first UK lockdown. In comparison, the majority (78%) of participants reported that before the pandemic, they were spending an average of 1–4 hours online every day. These findings should be concerning, as it has been noted that spending 3 or more hours online daily has been associated with cyberbullying (Bottino et al, 2015).
‘The [research] priorities were to focus on action for mental health science, as it was anticipated that lockdown and social distancing would have far-reaching effects on mental health, including those from increased exposure to cyberbullying and other negative online experiences’
The increased screen time for children that inevitably resulted from lockdown and remote learning has also led to increased exposure to harmful content online and cyberbullying
‘Almost half (47%) of teens reported that they had seen content they wish they had not during the first pandemic, with 13% reporting they saw harmful videos every day.’
Exposure to harmful content
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, 2019) provides content-based age classifications for video works on physical media and over the internet, including films, trailers and advertisements. In May 2020, the BBFC (2020) released research that detailed the results of a survey conducted online with 5–15 year olds and parents. The survey asked about content seen online or in videos during the first UK lockdown. Almost half (47%) of children and teens reported that they had seen content online that they wish they had not, and 13% reported that they saw harmful videos every day.
The Chief Executive of the BBFC commented that ‘during the lockdown, parents can make a real difference to their children's risks online if they talk about how to avoid potentially distressing and inappropriate content’. However, over half (53%) of parents reported that they had not spoken to their children about increased time spent online during lockdown (BBFC, 2020).
Effects on mental health
Mental health issues are at least as common in young people as in adults. An OECD (2012) survey across 10 countries found that approximately a quarter of young people had a mental health disorder in 2012, and there is evidence that young girls are more oft en affected than young boys (World Health Organization, 2016). Studies have also established a link between online activity and mental health issues in young people. Woods and Scott (2016) reported that social media use in adolescence was associated with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, based on a study of over 460 adolescents in Scotland. Similarly, McCrae et al (2017) reviewed 11 studies on the relationship between social media and depression in children and adolescents and found a significant correlation between the two.
YoungMinds (2021), a charity focusing on mental health in young people, conducted a survey of almost 2 500 young people aged 13–25 years in January–February of 2021, and two-thirds (67%) of respondents reported feeling that the pandemic would have a long-term negative effect on their mental health. Young people have also reported similar feelings about the effect of the pandemic and time spent online on their health. Participants in the Digital Wellbeing Report of 2020 were asked about possible negative effects of the time spent on the internet. Overall, 60% of participants felt that the amount of time they spent online negatively impacted other important areas of their life, including sleep, diet, exercise or study. More specifically focusing on mental health, over one-third (35%) of children felt that their internet or social media use negatively affected their physical or mental health, or both (Office for National Satistics, 2020).
Negative experiences while online
Particularly during a national lockdown, when opportunities for face-to-face interaction are few, it may be more likely for children to encounter dangerous or upsetting incidents on the internet than in the physical world, including receiving messages or witnessing posts containing verbal abuse or threats.
The results of the telephone-operated crime survey for England and Wales 2020 were released in February 2021 (Office for National Statistics [ONS], 2021). The standard crime survey was halted in March 2020 as a result of lockdown, as data are usually collected through face-to-face interviews for this report. Instead, data specific to the coronavirus outbreak were gathered via telephone interviews conducted between September and November 2020 for parents of children aged 10–15 years old. In the survey, 94% of parents reported that their children had not had a negative experience while out by themselves. However, a smaller proportion of parents reported that they believed their child had not had a negative experience online (85%). As these data were gathered based only on parents' responses regarding their children, it is unclear whether this report accurately reflects the experiences of the children, especially since the Digital Wellbeing Report found that over a quarter (27%) of children felt their parents would not be able to help them with an online-related problem (Cybersmile Foundation, 2020).
The United Nations' Children's Fund (2020) anticipated that more time spent online would increase the risk of children being exposed to cyberbullying during the pandemic. The crime survey found that almost one in 10 (8%) parents reported that they knew their child had had nasty messages sent to them or posted about them online in the last month, and almost one in 20 (4%) reported that they knew their children had been threatened or verbally abused through the internet in the last month (ONS, 2021). Again, it must be noted that it is possible the prevalence of these incidents is higher than was reported here, as it relied on responses from parents and not the children directly. The Digital Wellbeing report found that almost one-fifth of children (18%) reported that they would not feel comfortable going to their parents with an online-related problem. Going forward, there should be a focus on encouraging parents to educate themselves regarding online safety and to open discussions with their children about how to handle problems online.
Importance of online safety awareness
With the sudden onset of remote learning and lockdown restrictions, many parents and teachers may have felt unprepared to handle the potential dangers of increased time online. The Digital Wellbeing Report highlighted the importance of parents, carers and teachers being aware of how to keep safe on the internet and engaging with their children/students on this subject, as over a quarter of children (27%) felt that their parents would not be able to help them with an online related problem and almost one third (30%) felt that their school would not be able to help them (Cybersmile Foundation, 2020). Additionally, in the telephone-operated crime survey, a quarter (25%) of parents reported that they felt they knew what their child was doing online or who they were in contact with only some of the time or less.
Professor Andy Phippen, author of the Online Safety Index and digital rights professor at Bournemouth University, made it clear how important it is to educate children and properly train staff, in a statement to the UK Safer Internet Centre: ‘If kids do not have confidence to disclose if they are being groomed, or if they do not even know they are being groomed, it makes them much more vulnerable’.
There are a number of online resources that parents and carers can be directed to, that are designed to help them talk with their children about online safety. Childnet International (2018a) has a number of advice pages covering key topics such as online bullying, grooming and social media use, as well as advice specifically focusing on keeping children under 5 years old safe online (Childnet International, 2018b). Similarly, Parent Info (2020), a collaborative organisation that provides support and guidance for parents from a number of leading experts and organisations, including the BBFC, Anti-bullying Ambassadors and Internet Matters, aims to help parents handle keeping children safe online.
The Department for Education (2019) published guidelines on teaching online safety in schools, and these are intended to be reviewed in Spring 2021.
Schools and internet safety
Schools have an important role to play in internet safety. The Internet Matters (2020) survey of 1000 teachers in the UK was published in September 2020. The results of this survey showed that over half (59%) of the participants were concerned about the online safety of students because of their increased internet use during the pandemic. However, the majority of teachers reported that remote teaching had a positive impact on their own (71%) and their pupils' (65%) ability to use technology for learning. This is likely to impact teaching going forward, although children have now returned to school in England and Wales (Gov.wales, 2021) and are expected to return to school after Easter in Scotland (Gov.scot, 2021).
‘…over a quarter (27%) of children felt that their parents would not be able to help them with an online-related problem and almost one-third (30%) felt that their school would not be able to help them.’
The UK Safer Internet Centre has published data on school performance for online safety (Schools Online Safety Index 2020). The data are based on self-review data from 14 000 schools that were gathered using the 360degree safe tool, which allows schools to review their online safety policy and practice. A final ‘index’ score for each local authority area was generated, based on a combination of aggregated scores of all schools in the area, for performance and engagement in the process of keeping children safe online. David Wright, the Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, noted that the results show that ‘there are still huge gaps to be addressed. A lot of schools need support to up their game when it comes to making sure children are safe online’.
Implications for child health professionals
The pandemic will have far-reaching effects for children. On top of the stresses and issues relating to lockdown, remote learning and the impact of the disease itself on friends and relatives, children have been spending more time online and this is likely to have had a significant impact on their mental health.
Those working in children's healthcare should be aware of the effects that increased internet exposure is likely to have had, in terms of its links to mental health issues, and the prevalence of incidents such as children having seen harmful content or having experienced verbal abuse through social media messaging and posting. The Mental Health Foundation (2021) has published guidance on the likely challenges schools will face, and advises that there is a rising need for safeguarding and wellbeing services within schools.
Similarly, the use of technology within schools is likely to rise, as teachers and pupils have had to become more familiar with how it can be used to improve learning. This means there is a need for awareness of how children have been impacted by the pandemic, as their needs may have changed in respect to safeguarding. This will ensure children can access advice, guidance and resources to maintain their online safety and handle mental health challenges that may result from time spent online.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Advice for parents and carers on keeping children safe online
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-keeping-children-safe-online/coronavirus-covid-19-support-for-parents-and-carers-to-keep-children-safe-online
360degreesafe: a free tool to review schools' online safety policy and practice
https://swgfl.org.uk/products/360-degree-safe/
Challenges for schools and pupils when returning to school
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/coronavirus/returning-school-after-lockdown/challenge-facing-schools-pupils