The pandemic and shuttered schools have led to a crisis for childhood

WASHINGTON — As parents remain bitterly divided over the return of in-person classroom instruction, children faced a greater risk of abuse or neglect because their contact with the outside world has been significantly curtailed by school closures and other restrictive measures. Those are the findings of two separate studies published on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The studies — along with other recent findings about learning outcomes, food insecurity and mental health — paint a grim picture of childhood development in the midst of a pandemic, leading UNICEF, the United Nations childhood agency, to warn of “a lost COVID generation” in a recent report.

Researchers blamed the increased risk of child abuse on factors including “heightened stress, school closures, loss of income, and social isolation.” They also suggested that “strengthening families’ economic supports” could help ease contributing stressors.

https://news.yahoo.com/the-pandemic-and-shuttered-schools-have-led-to-a-crisis-for-childhood-191730462.html