The COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted classrooms for a few years, but its impact on the mental health of children and adolescents could be felt for much longer. A newly published research chapter by Nils Sumegi Went, titled Global Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents: A Developmental and Cross-Cultural Perspective, examines evidence from 38 countries across six continents, offering one of the most comprehensive analyses of how the pandemic affected young people worldwide.
The review argues that children were harmed less by the virus itself than by the social conditions created to control it. School closures, prolonged isolation, disrupted routines, family financial hardship, and limited access to healthcare collectively had a profound effect on mental well-being. According to the research, approximately 1.6 billion children were removed from classrooms during the pandemic, making it the largest disruption to education in modern history.
One of the study’s key findings is that mental health outcomes were more closely linked to the intensity of pandemic restrictions than to infection rates. Regions that experienced longer school closures and stricter containment measures generally reported higher levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and psychological distress among children and teenagers. In Latin America, pooled psychological distress reached 66.6%, compared with 31.2% in North America and 27.4% in Europe, highlighting significant regional differences.
The research also found that adolescents were particularly vulnerable because the pandemic interrupted a crucial stage of social and emotional development. While younger children were mainly affected through caregiver stress, disrupted routines, and family instability, teenagers experienced the loss of friendships, independence, identity formation, and important educational milestones. Girls consistently reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-harm than boys across many high-income countries.
The burden was not shared equally. The study identifies several groups that faced disproportionately severe challenges, including girls, LGBTQ+ adolescents, Indigenous communities, children from low-income families, young people with disabilities, and children who lost parents or caregivers during the pandemic. These populations already faced disadvantages before COVID-19, and the pandemic amplified those existing inequalities.
Researchers also note that many lower-income countries continue to lack comprehensive mental health data for children and adolescents. The absence of research should not be interpreted as an absence of problems. Instead, the study suggests that weak surveillance systems have likely hidden the true extent of the crisis in many parts of Africa, the Caribbean, Central Asia, and Pacific Island nations.
Another significant conclusion is that schools served as much more than places of education. They provided routine, nutrition, emotional support, protection from abuse, access to mental health services, and opportunities for healthy social development. When schools closed, many children lost these essential support systems, particularly those already living in vulnerable circumstances.
The review also highlights growing concerns about delayed consequences. In several countries, emergency psychiatric visits, eating disorder diagnoses, and self-harm cases continued to rise even after restrictions eased, suggesting that recovery has been slower than many anticipated. Emerging research even indicates that prolonged stress during the pandemic may have influenced aspects of adolescent brain development, although further investigation is needed.
Looking ahead, the author argues that future public health responses should prioritize keeping schools open whenever it is safe to do so, while protecting household stability and maintaining access to mental health services. Supporting parents through financial assistance and mental health care is also identified as one of the most effective ways to protect children’s well-being during future crises.
The study concludes that the pandemic imposed a cumulative, unequal, and often underestimated developmental cost on young people. While much of the world has moved beyond lockdowns, many children and adolescents continue to carry the emotional and psychological consequences. As governments prepare for future public health emergencies, the findings suggest that safeguarding children’s education, mental health, and family stability must remain central to any response.
Read the full study here: www.intechopen.com/online-first/1246419