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The temporary relief from the pressures of school will have been, to some pupils, a blessing

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It’s difficult to reflect on 2020 so far without thinking about the internet. As millions of us were learning to live under lockdown, the internet coloured our interactions as it never had before, keeping many of us sane and in touch with our loved ones, allowing us to feel part of a whole even when alone in our homes. Yet before the pandemic, social media was often seen as a destroyer, as opposed to a maintainer, of mental health; a threat to the wellbeing of our children, a horseman heralding the demise of face-to-face communication, a distraction or a vehicle for abuse.
A new study, by researchers at the University of Bristol for the National Institute for Health Research School for Public Health Research, suggests that social media may have been beneficial for young people during lockdown. Perhaps surprisingly, the research, which surveyed more than 1,000 year 9 students from 17 secondary schools in south-west England, found that teenagers’ anxiety levels actually improved when schools closed during the coronavirus lockdown. “The fact that many of our participants were able to stay in touch with friends and wider family via social media may help explain why we did not see an overall increase in poor mental health and wellbeing,” the report states. Continue reading...