Half of parents say child's social and emotional skills worsened during pandemic

31 July 2023 , 23:01

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The Covid pandemic had a major impact on children's social and emotional development (Image: Getty Images)

Nearly half of parents (48%) said their child’s social and emotional skills deteriorated during the first year of the pandemic.

Families reported that children were more likely to appear worried, easily lost confidence, or had tantrums in February 2021 compared to the year before, a new study found.

The report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and UCL found younger kids were more likely to be affected, with children aged four to seven years old 10 percentage points more likely to have seen their social and emotional development worsen than 12-15 year-olds (52% versus 42%).

Children whose parents lost their jobs or saw changes to their employment situation were more likely to see their social and emotional skills worsen. Youngsters whose parents had been furloughed in the pandemic were "significantly more likely to experience a worsening in their socio-emotional skills than those whose parents had not been furloughed (51% versus 45%)", the report said.

Andrew McKendrick, IFS Research Economist, said the findings were a reminder of how economic uncertainty can have an impact across families as Brits continue to grapple with the cost of living crisis.

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Lessons were often held online during the Covid-19 lockdowns (Getty Images)

He said: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, children from all backgrounds saw their social and emotional skills worsen considerably. Children lived through many changes during these years: school closures, lack of contact with friends and family, and potentially devastating severe illness or death among loved ones.

"Our research shows that another important driver of children’s declining skills was the economic disruptions experienced by their parents, whether or not those disruptions led to a large income loss."

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: “It is incredibly concerning, though sadly not surprising, that such a high proportion of families have reported that their children’s social and emotional skills worsened during the pandemic. And while it is vital that, moving forward, all children are given the care and attention they need to make up for the ‘lost learning’ during this period, given the particularly significant impact of the pandemic on younger children, it’s clear that this needs to start in the early years."

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Lizzy Buchan