Stress, Bullying Among Parents' Concerns During Pandemic: Survey

ACROSS AMERICA — The coronavirus pandemic has been incredibly challenging for the nation's children. It has closed schools down indefinitely, disrupting their traditional learning routine and separating them from classmates and friends.

The pandemic has also forced many youngsters to celebrate huge milestones, like birthdays and holidays, in quarantine — away from cousins, aunts, uncles and beloved grandparents. Playtime at the park and other venues is no longer the same due to social distancing.

The isolation that can easily result from the pandemic can quickly take an emotional toll on America's youth. In fact, a new national poll by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital revealed that that parents are worried about the impact of the pandemic on their children.

"COVID-19 has turned the world of our children and teens upside down in many ways and this is reflected in how parents rate health issues in 2020," said pediatrician and study author Dr. Gary Freed, co-director of the Mott National Poll on Children's Health. "Parents' biggest concerns for young people seem to be associated with changes in lifestyle as a result of the pandemic."

According to the study, the No. 1 concern parents had for their children was how much time their little ones were spending on screens and social media. That concern was followed by worries of if their children were being bullied or cyberbullied and if they were being safe while surfing the internet.

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Overall, the study found that eight of the top 10 concerns most commonly rated by all parents as a “big problem” were frequently associated with changes in lifestyle and may be related to efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study found that the 2020 top child health concerns for parents are:

1. Overuse of social media/screen time (72 percent)
2. Bullying/cyberbullying (62 percent)
3. Internet safety (62 percent)
4. Unhealthy eating (59 percent)
5. Depression/suicide (54 percent)
6. Lack of physical activity (54 percent)
7. Stress/anxiety (54 percent)
8. Smoking/vaping (52 percent)
9. Drinking or using drugs (50 percent)
10. COVID (48 percent)

Results By Racial/Ethnic Groups

The survey found that concerns for children’s health during 2020 varied somewhat based on a parent’s ethnic or racial background. Black parents rated racism as their No. 1 health concern for children and teens, with COVID-19 coming in at No. 2. Racism was the No. 6 concern of Hispanic parents and COVID-19 was the No. 8 concern. Neither racism nor COVID-19 were in the top 10 health issues for US children among white parents.

Black parents were also the only racial/ethnic group that rated gun injuries and unequal access to health care as a top 10 concern and white parents as the only group to rate lack of physical activity in the top 10, the survey reported.

There were some similarities among the races, according to the study. For example, the overuse of social media/screen time was the No. 1 concern among white and Hispanic parents, bullying/cyberbullying was No. 2 and internet safety was No. 3 among these same groups.

Black and Hispanic adults also rated COVID-19 as a top health concern for children and teens, the study found. This is likely due to the higher rates of COVID-19 infections in Black and Hispanic communities relative to the general population.

Implications

When it comes to children and teens, the study reported that parents’ biggest concerns were not with the coronavirus itself, but rather with the impact of the changes experienced as a result of a pandemic.

As for children coping with stress, anxiety and depression, the study reported that these negative emotions may be related to or exacerbated by COVID-19. The study suggests that parents should encourage children and teens to talk about their feelings, and find ways to help them cope with the new reality. Some will benefit from maintaining routines and trying to keep things as “normal” as can be, while others may need increased flexibility, the study found.

Increased time online can also raise the risk of cyberbullying and other types of abuse. According to the study, parents should have ongoing conversations with their children and teens to guide them in safe internet practices, including the protection of their privacy and how to avoid those who try to prey on kids via the internet.

Extra screen time and the social isolation from COVID-19 can also affect a child’s physical health by disrupting sleep habits, increasing the potential for unhealthy eating and reducing outside physical activity—all issues in the top 10 health concerns identified by parents in the Mott Poll.

The study mentions the importance of parents finding a happy balance. According to the survey, screen time can be an important vehicle for children to maintain social and family connections that are so vital for their emotional well-being during these stressful times—especially for teens who are attending school virtually. Home isolation would be more difficult without technology in general, the study reports.