The world is not the same anymore

A child-focused recovery plan is needed to prevent a lost generation

 "Anxiety over the future."

"The world is not the same anymore."

"It has become less clear what our future will look like."

These are the voices of Australian children grappling with the effects of the first two years of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, a nationwide survey has captured the perspectives of Australian children and young people to help understand the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19.

The findings are stark

Young Australians are suffering from significant setbacks in their relationships, physical health, education and mental health. The study, conducted by 89 Degrees East for Save the Children Australia with the support of the Paul Ramsay Foundation, reveals an immense scale of disruption, difficulty and scarring experienced by children and parents.

Over two-thirds of parents report their children being disengaged from education, a startling figure that indicates the potentially detrimental long-term impact on young people’s employment outcomes.

While these results are reflected across the country, they are most severe in Victoria and New South Wales where lockdown restrictions lingered the longest. The study found that 69% of children experienced learning and developmental impacts during COVID-19, a figure that rises to 84% for Victorians and 82% for those in New South Wales.

Geography was not the only risk factor. First Nations families, families with a disability and low-income families all report higher levels of concern for the impacts of the pandemic on their children than the national average.

Across all demographics, only 17% of parents feel that governments have done enough to address the issues that children have experienced due to COVID. Among these issues, the children and parents surveyed repeatedly highlight children’s loss of connection with extended family and friends, physical health difficulties, mental health and emotional wellbeing challenges, and learning and development delays as particularly significant.