COVID’s toll on kids was milder than predicted, six-country study finds

Six years after COVID-19 disrupted childhood around the world, new research following the same children from before the pandemic through today finds that the damage was far less widespread than early warnings predicted. A special section in the journal Child Development, synthesizing 17 long-term studies across six countries, finds that most children’s health, learning, social development and well-being recovered substantially. Setbacks that persisted were concentrated among children who already faced other risks before the pandemic began.

Early studies of COVID-19, based on short-term data collected during the pandemic itself, warned of widespread and lasting harm to child development. This new research, tracking children over a longer period, tells a different story: Pandemic impacts were real and wide-ranging, but not as severe as initially feared, and many effects weakened over time. The children who fared worst and recovered more slowly were disproportionately those shaped by pre-existing risks—not the pandemic alone.

These findings are featured in the journal, Child Development, in a special section on COVID-19 titled “Children’s Developmental Trajectories in the Long Shadow of COVID-19.” The special section is led by co-editors Anna D. Johnson (Georgetown University), Gabriela Livas (University of Texas, Austin) and Seth Pollak (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

“Overall, the evidence in this special section challenges dominant narratives of universal ‘learning loss,’ suggesting instead that COVID-19 interacted with existing inequalities,” said co-editor Johnson from Georgetown University. “The research highlights the resilience in children and shows the importance of context in shaping their physical, cognitive and emotional skills over time.”

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Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

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