Parents are concerned about the impact of the epidemic on their children, a new national poll has found. The top three concerns were how much time children spend on screens and social media, if their child is bullied or cyber-bullied and if the child is at risk while online.
“It says a lot about how it affects parents, and how little confidence they have in how all the technologies in their children’s lives are supporting their well-being,” said Drs. Jenny Redsky said. , Who was not involved in the study.
Other top 10 concerns among parents include delirium considering their child’s stress and discomfort and worrying if their child smokes, evaporates, drinks or uses drugs.
Pediatrician and study author Dr. “The biggest parental concern for young people seems to be associated with lifestyle changes as a result of the epidemic,” said Gary Fried, co-director of Children’s Health at Children’s Health, in a statement.
“Covid-1 has changed the world of our children and adolescents in many ways and reflects how parents rate health issues in 2020.”
Ethnic differences
The top 10 concerns for children’s health during 2020 vary depending on the parent’s ethnic or racial background, the poll found.
Black parents rated racism as a top concern for their health for children and adolescents, with Covid-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, coming in second. Hispanic parents rank racism sixth in their list of top 10 concerns and the virus eighth. However, neither racism nor the virus made it into the top 10 concerns for those white parents who were more concerned about overline overuse and abuse.
“The difference in parental concern by race and gender is so significant,” Radeski said. “I hear from these black and Hispanic families I work with: they’re more concerned about family members getting sick from Covid-19, and so they can’t afford the risks of certain child activities – for example play date pods, personal therapy Or return to private school – which white parents are comfortable with.
“This is an excellent example of how white families need to understand the structural barriers faced by families of color and not assume that fears and risks are shared equally among families,” Radeski added.
Black and Hispanic communities are more likely to be concerned about the virus due to higher rates of covid-19 infections in those communities than in the general population, the survey said.
“Children who have lost family members in COVID-19 may need special attention and mental health services to help them understand and cope with their loss,” Fried said in a statement.
Research shows that children targeted by racism have higher rates of depression, anxiety and behavioral problems, the report said.
Mental and physical worries
The unhealthy diet by their children during the year was fourth for both White and Black parents, but not in the top 10 for Hispanic parents.
Social isolation and routine changes caused by the virus can affect children’s physical and mental health, and parents may notice changes, such as “increasing behavioral issues in young children or mood swings or lethargy in older children and adolescents,” Chutta said.
Inconsistencies in sleep, he said, can increase the likelihood of a decrease in particularly unhealthy diet and outside physical activity.
Black parents listed poverty, lack of health care, and gun injuries among their top 10 concerns. White and Hispanic parents did not put those people on their list but cited child abuse and neglect as one of their top 10 concerns.
Excessive use of screens
White and Hispanic parents have rated the excessive use of social media and how much time their child has spent on screens as a number 1 concern, followed by bullying or cyberbullying and internet security rates.
Although children are concerned about too much screen time, there may be a place for family chats and video chats and phone calls with friends.
“It’s important for children and adolescents to maintain the social and family connections that we know are crucial to their emotional well-being, especially when they are stressed or lonely,” Fried said. “Technology can be an important vehicle for those connections.”
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