THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Covid shutdowns

Reduced Socialization and the impact on kids

By Dr. Robbie Babins-Wagner

Dr. Robbie Babins-Wagner is CEO of the Calgary Counselling Centre. She is also an Adjunct Professor and Sessional Instructor in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary.

The concept of a play date, where children and their parents or caregivers get together in someone’s home or a neighbourhood park or playground, has largely gone away during the Covid-19 pandemic. Once a staple of most young children’s (and their parents’) social lives, the in-person play date has become yet another victim of the coronavirus.

Since March 2020, restrictions on gatherings, schools and sports have yo-yo’d across the country, and most families with small children have experienced seemingly endless ups and downs along with the ever-changing rules. Children need routine for clarity, consistency and structure. Their daily routines, like those of their parents, have been wholly upended by the pandemic.

RUNNING AROUND WITH FRIENDS

Opportunities for kids to run around with their friends at recess, in daycare or on play dates have jumped around, interrupting millions of young social lives across Canada. While constructive and loving family time is an important part of any child’s development, children also need face time with their little peers. Children and youth lacking social contact with other kids may become withdrawn and develop symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The Internet has allowed for school and some social connections to continue for kids whose families have the necessary devices and bandwidth, but Zoom and other online platforms simply do not provide the same level of socialization that children experience in person. Online communication misses a lot of body language, spontaneous creativity and, of course, physical exercise that occurs when children play together in person. Further, parents often limit kids’ screen time (depending on their ages), so classroom time likely trumps online playtime with friends.

... this is the first time in our collective memory that entire schools and sports leagues have been shuttered and our interactions outside our families and small cohort severely limited.

SOCIAL BEINGS

Kids can be incredibly social beings, and their friends, sports groups, daycares, childcares and classrooms are crucial opportunities for social contact -- contact that’s vital for brain development, especially in the early years. Hanging around together helps children learn to interact with others and get along in the larger world.

As public health guidelines remain (and continue to change), it is important for parents to follow these rules to the best of their ability and provide structure and routine for their children. Parents can also help kids understand that the fluctuating public

health guidelines, while significantly disrupting their lives, are essential and helpful to the entire community — to people they know and love, and to others they’ve never met.

Children need routine for clarity, consistency and structure. Their daily routines, like those of their parents, have been wholly upended by the pandemic.

DIGGING DEEP FOR IDEAS

While in isolation during (one hopes) these last few months of the pandemic, families are digging deeper for ideas and activities for their children. Now that summer is here, perhaps kids can get outside and pull weeds on a neighbour’s lawn, or offer to assist with other small, safe chores that help someone out and allow the youngsters to feel they are a part of something. We are all figuring this out together. The mass interruptions to socialization are new for this generation. In the recent past, individual children, parents and teachers have had to deal with isolation due to health or other issues. But this is the first time in our collective memory that entire schools and sports leagues have been shuttered and our interactions outside our families and small cohort severely limited.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Every child will react differently to attending school online and missing social contact with friends and classmates. The good news is that short-term social isolation due to social distancing requirements will probably have little, if any, impact on most children and youth. They are remarkable, resilient beings, and most children will recover quickly once restrictions end. As we get back to being among people again, and enjoying those noisy play dates with our kids, we know the social isolation due to the pandemic is unlikely to leave any long-lasting effects on our young children.