3 / 2021 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS 9
The situation facing children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic
Psychologist Jutta Mata and Leopoldina member Ralph Hertwig on the 8th ad hoc statement
COVID-19 has changed all our lives . But children and adolescents are perhaps the age group to have been most affected by the pandemic and the protective measures taken , at least in terms of their education and other opportunities for development . In light of this , the Leopoldina ’ s 8th ad hoc statement focuses on their psychosocial and educational circumstances .
BY RALPH HERTWIG ML * AND JUTTA MATA *
A working group of 26 scientists from various disciplines examined the growing evidence base and used it to draw up empirically informed recommendations for action . Due to the fluid nature of the pandemic , studies conducted during such a time are inevitably snapshots of the current situation and have limited validity . Bearing this in mind , the working group came to four key conclusions .
Firstly , there is no reason to make sweeping negative assumptions about a “ COVID-19 generation ”. Describing children and adolescents in this way does not adequately account for the plasticity of the brain and the resilience of the organism in the sense of an ability to reverse any potential harmful consequences .
Secondly , there are already numerous empirical studies providing clear evidence of burdens and deficits . For example , an analysis covering more than 2.5 million pupils in five countries ( including Germany ) found that overall these pupils lost around 23 to 35 percent of their learning time as a result of school closures during the first lockdown . These losses were particularly high among younger children , who were estimated to have lost roughly a quarter of an academic year .
Thirdly , some groups are better equipped to deal with the challenges than others . This is because the pandemic has
Jutta Mata
Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Mannheim and Associate
Research Scientist at the Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin / Germany . Her work focuses on psychological and behavioural processes .
Image : Leonie Kopetzki
exacerbated existing inequalities . The situation has worsened the burdens and disadvantages experienced by children and adolescents who already faced poverty , domestic violence or educational difficulties . The signs of this “ crisis before the crisis ” can be quantified by two pieces of data , which are indicative of the circumstances as a whole : In 2019 , almost 200,000 children had such poor maths and science skills at the end of the final year of primary school that they would in all likelihood not have the core knowledge required to continue effectively learning after starting lower secondary education .
Before the pandemic , only 26 percent of children and adolescents in Germany met the World Health Organization ’ s recommendation of at least one hour of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity exercise a day . Preschool and school closures have inflamed these and other symptoms
Ralph Hertwig ML
Director of the Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute
for Human Development in Berlin / Germany . He conducts research on human decision-making , with a particular emphasis on analysing boundedly rational strategies .
Image : Arne Sattler
of the crisis . Finally , the statement sets forth 15 recommendations for action which address both the burdens caused by the pandemic as well as pre-pandemic inequalities in educational and development opportunities . The pandemic has therefore given us a chance to create future-proof educational and support structures which will put children and adolescents in Germany in a better situation than before the pandemic . The statement aims to help ensure that this opportunity is not wasted .
* Ralph Hertwig and Jutta Mata are the speakers of the working group which prepared the Leopoldina ’ s 8th ad hoc statement on the COVID-19 pandemic .
Ad hoc statement “ Children and adolescents in the COVID-19 pandemic ”