Letters | Coronavirus social isolation: how to let the kids know they are not alone

Children are incredible and resilient in ways adults can definitely learn from, but a little more parental interaction will go a long way to support them as they transition into the Covid-19 “new normal”

Mental health

Letters

Published: 8:15am, 6 Jun 2020

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We have all become familiar with the concept of social isolation during the Covid-19 outbreak. Many of us are having to physically cut ourselves off from the outside world altogether. This has its costs, one of which could be to our mental health, and whereas adults may be able to articulate their predicament and reach out for help, children are not so well equipped.

Social isolation is one of the markers we at Viva, a global charity focused on helping vulnerable children, use when deciding who are most vulnerable and in need of our help. We ask community workers and local governments to point us in the direction of the most isolated children. We ask teachers to identify students who skip school regularly and those whose parents provide repeated excuses for absenteeism.

Find a socially isolated child and, in most cases, there will be underlying developmental issues. Isolated children tend to be abused, neglected or at risk of being trafficked. Socially isolated children tend to miss out educationally and are more likely to grow up into a disadvantaged social class and be psychologically distressed as an adult. Furthermore, interaction with other people is critical to good health, for both children and adults.

But what happens to our own children as social distancing is encouraged and even enforced in a Hong Kong already grappling with the long-term closure of schools? What will the long-term effects be? What can we do to ensure they do not suffer developmentally?

Here are some basic tips to help children release stress and build for the future.

First, exercise. Ensure your children exercise daily; hiking, bouncing on a trampoline and running all prompt the release of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that act as painkillers and help the body to sleep, which in turn reduces stress.

Second: conversation. Engage with your children by discussing their day, asking them how they are feeling and listening to their responses. Often we feel as though we do not have answers to the questions children ask, but be alert, allow them to process conversations and give them the time necessary to fully engage.

Talk about your fears and theirs; often just giving voice to them helps us place them in a better context, helps us and our children to rationalise. This is very important for their long-term development.

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Hong Kong secondary students learn online amid coronavirus fears

Make sure they have interactions with other children outside school. And listen out for the times when they talk about issues affecting them to do with social isolation. Some will be normal, but some children will not adapt as well to change. If that is the case, we need to spend time talking with them more about the need for change and how we can adapt.

Fortunately, children are incredible and resilient in ways we as adults can definitely learn from, but a little more parental interaction will go a long way to supporting them as they transition into the “new normal”.

Matt Coulson, executive director, Viva Hong Kong

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