Teenagers in lockdown
On New Year’s Eve last year, no one could have foreseen what lay ahead in the year to come.
Throughout 2020, the media has broadly covered the struggles of the elderly during this time of uncertainty, shedding light on some of the appalling situations in Victorian nursing homes and how the coronavirus outbreak has been affecting the lives of residents.
These are rightly important issues, particularly given the death toll. These are ongoing issues that need to be addressed.
During this pandemic the struggles that young people and teenagers face whilst in lockdown have largely gone unnoticed.
With a rapid increase of mental health struggles, studying at home whilst trying to maintain good grades and the longing for social interaction, the young people of Australia do in fact struggle in this pandemic, along with everyone else.
Issues such as depression and anxiety are already far too common in teens, with a 2017 study showing that one in seven adolescents from the ages of 4-17 present with mental health issues.
New research from mental health experts state that due to the stress of the fragile situation surrounding COVID-19, there has been a swift surge in cases of depression among young people. Self-harm and suicide idealisation statistics have also had a dramatic rise throughout the isolation process, with 25 per cent more young people presenting at an emergency room with thoughts of suicide or attempts since this time last year.
These statistics should be a wake-up call for our communities so we can band together and support those in need, whilst also recognising their struggles.
Remote learning is yet another con of being a teen during the pandemic. Though students are grateful for the remarkable efforts that teachers put into their online lessons, it doesn’t make the situation any easier.
Some students definitely thrive in the online learning environment, but others tend to fall behind, possibly due to a short attention span, internet problems, an enticing show on Netflix or the lack of face to face interaction. This drop in academic grades is worrying, not only for VCE students, but the entire school community.
Depending on a family dynamic and situation, being in quarantine with your family could either go two ways. For some, it is great to reconnect with loved ones and to spend time with them.
For others, and I am sure most teenagers would agree, being stuck with your family for six weeks with no other social interaction isn’t exactly the best experience. Perhaps it is because they are too loud, too quiet, or too boring, but either way it makes teenagers wish they could be quarantining with their friends instead.
St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Year 10 student Sophie Prestidge reflects on life in lockdown from a teenager’s perspective while undertaking work experience at The Gazette last week.
Job losses have been exponential over the past six months with up to one million Australians losing their jobs. This applies to nearly every age group, but a huge number of teenagers haven’t even been able to secure a job yet. Growing up, it is essential to find a part time job to gain skills and to earn money, subsequently making you more independent, but this process has been swiftly halted due to businesses not having enough money to employ more staff. This is concerning for teenagers as in order to secure a full-time job as an adult, prior work experience tends to be a prerequisite.
One thing that I’m sure nearly everyone has in common is a love and desire to travel. Visiting other states seems like a longshot now, let alone other countries. Frequent travellers have certainly had a bit of a rude awakening to discover they can hardly travel five kilometres away from their house.
Teenagers have been struggling with these restrictions as having a social life and a large support circle of friends is crucial to growing up. In some cases, family and friends live in another country and though we have social media and phones to connect with them, it often doesn’t seem like enough.
Being unable to travel to a friend’s house who might live in a lockdown area, or to not be able to go on a trip to visit a friend or family member who live in another state or continent is not only really disappointing, but makes you put things in perspective about how important good friends are. Sport and its social interaction also has been non-existent.
As a child, you are told to plan for a handful of special occasions that will take place in your life. Weddings, parties and milestones such as 16th ,18th and 21st birthdays being just a few. The restrictions that have been set in place are somewhat suffocating adolescents and crushing their dreams of a ‘Sweet Sixteenth” and the infamous 21st birthday party shenanigans.
Parties are a social event that encourage people to meet new friends, let off steam and enjoy themselves. Missing out on important events that you have been looking forward to can feel extremely annoying, even when it is necessary to keep others safe.
The scariest thing about the pandemic is the fact that we have no timeline. It is a great example of the fear of the unknown. There is no way for us to just flick a switch and turn the coronavirus pandemic off. Everyone is just waiting helplessly in quarantine for a vaccine to be found when in reality, it could be another week, six months or even two years until things return to some sense of normality.
It will be interesting to see the aftermath of COVID-19 and whether it will change how we live and go on with our regular day to day activities. When will all our sporting clubs be open again?
When will we be able to go to other states and countries without being quarantined for two weeks and wearing a mask? When will we be able to go to school without the possibility
of it getting shut down again? The fact that there are no answers to these questions probably should scare people into following the rules and waiting it out.
To sum it all up, everyone in Australia, of all ages, is going through different struggles during the pandemic and we are all in the same boat, but the adolescents of Australia should be congratulated for their maturity in such a difficult time and be reminded by their peers that they are doing a great job at coping with the constant changes they face.