We know that COVID-19 has been particularly harmful for at-risk populations, and although adolescents seem to be less at risk for severe symptoms from the disease, they have been negatively impacted by the disruption of their typical routines and a lack of social connection with their peers and teachers.
Teenagers have different developmental needs than adults: during the adolescent years teens develop social skills, a capacity for empathy, and a sense of identity, and they do this by interacting with their peers and friends. But because of the restrictions on socializing, teenagers are increasingly spending more time alone. In addition to increased social isolation, adolescents are experiencing disappointment associated with the cancellation of important occasions and milestones, team sporting events, as well as the stress of managing online learning.
It is important for parents and other concerned adults not to minimize the pressures and the losses that teens are facing at this time, nor to downplay the grief that comes as a result of these losses. Teenagers need to hear from parents and teachers that their sadness and disappointment matter, that their emotions have a place in the collective experience of the negative effects of this disease. We can support teens by actively listening to them when they tell us they are struggling, to remember how we felt when we were at their stage in life, and to imagine what it would feel like to have the opportunities we once had for learning and having fun suddenly taken away. When teens can know they are understood, it creates space for them to also have empathy toward others.
