While the virus might not be infecting individuals to the degree in 2020, it is the long-term effect on children and adults that are cemented into our everyday life. As we believe we have now swerved the mangling affliction of the pandemic, we have yet to truly acknowledge the impact that still roams today, especially on the children of the pandemic.

Children have been fatalistically affected by the pandemic with loss of peer relationships, loss of schooling and loss of social interaction that has catalysed suffering with mental health and well-being issues still to this day. Children’s experiences differed depending on the socioeconomic backgrounds of families. It was concluded that those with financially stable households generally fared better as families were reconnecting before busy working hours. This echo is in stark contrast to the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on Black and ethnic minority groups which were more likely to experience adverse effects of domestic abuse, poverty, loneliness, mental health, absenteeism from school and morbidity due to COVID-19. 

Children who have been isolated from social development for the two years of lockdown have not been able to learn and progress as before, consequently, they have been thrown into adolescence - to environments where they did not have the skills to navigate. This is not only specific to teens and children but also babies who have faced a declining integration and therefore threaten a subconscious bias and lifelong social repercussions. The dependence on forced technology and magnification of social media has meant the effect has not been gradual nor moderated, therefore raising the malignant impact and exposure, feeding further to children’s self-esteem, and damaging their social support networks

Nevertheless, COVID-19 has also broken boundaries, bonded families and caused children to adopt creative hobbies to aid their boredom. The pandemic has underlined the simple nature of family time and how unifying as one unit is significant to recovery from a tragic event. Whilst the schooling industry had failed and technology affixed to society and placed as a permanent fix, children’s creativity was restored, and innocent pleasures started to interweave back individuals. 

The ink of Covid still stains and yet as children use their computers over pens, all that is left is a shadow of what life used to be. But a shadow that has a silver lining that we are still here…