Strangers to mathematics, and to sex
In some ways children’s and adolescents’ lives are returning to normal. Almost all schools reopened after Christmas. On January 20th, 87% of pupils were present. But a cohort has been affected by the disruptions of the past two years, in ways likely to shape them for life. Max Davie, a paediatrician, calls it “an unfortunate but fascinating natural experiment”.
Research for the Department of Education last summer found that primary-school children had fallen behind in mathematics by just over two months relative to the previous year group. Children poor enough to receive free school meals slipped by half a month more. And large regional differences emerged. Those in London were 0.8 months behind where they should be; those in south-west England had not slipped at all. Children in north-east and north-west England were at least three months behind.
The covid cohort did, however, become technologically expert. During lockdown, parents and schools decided that excessive screen time and online bullying were less alarming than isolation from peers, and nudged children online. “They migrate to social media anyway, and during the pandemic we encouraged that,” says Jenny Langley, head of Kingsway Park High School in Rochdale.
Medical data tell a similar story of mostly contented idleness. Between March 2020 and July 2021 the number of children aged 5-14 admitted to hospital for accidents was lower than the pre-covid average in every month. The number of children treated in hospital after falling from playground equipment has dropped particularly steeply, though that may in part reflect a desire to avoid burdening theThe lack of physical activity, combined with other disruptions, has made a cohort of children fatter.
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