The emotional wellbeing of children and young people aged 11-25 during the Covid 19 Pandemic

Healthwatch Bexley decided to research the health and wellbeing of young people, working with Bexley Youth Council and Active Horizons.  They spoke to 147 children and young people, the majority of whom live in the London Borough of Bexley (LBB), aged 11-25.

They found that many of the children and young people who completed our survey have experienced anxiety, depression, stress and loneliness during the pandemic. They were fearful of catching Covid-19 and passing it to family and friends particularly as they returned to educational settings. They told us of their concerns about their education, missing course work and exams and worries they had about future employment.

However, a smaller group of young people told us they preferred home schooling and felt less pressure, enjoying being at home with family. The desire to return to normal or that things would never return to normal was also a concern.

Both HeadScape and Kooth, are online services available to children and young people in Bexley. However, our report found that awareness of these services was low amongst the children and young people who completed our survey. Indicating that more regular promotion is needed to increase awareness and use.