Pandemic left varied and lasting effects on children, new report to tell public inquiry

A new report compiling the experiences of 600 children and teenagers who were under 18 during the Covid-19 pandemic paints a wide-ranging picture of disruption, loss and resilience, and will form part of evidence heard by the UK Covid public inquiry from 29 September.

The document, seen exclusively by the BBC, includes first‑hand accounts that range from happy memories of family time and successful adaptation to online learning to accounts of social isolation, disrupted schooling, bereavement and ongoing health problems such as long Covid. The inquiry plans to hear evidence on the impact on children and young people across four weeks, from 29 September to 23 October.

The report includes detailed personal testimonies. One Wigan student, identified as Sam, described losing his father suddenly when he was 12 and said the pandemic rules that limited contact left him with lasting regret. "I do feel deep down that something has been stolen from me," he said, while adding that he understood the procedures were necessary. Now 17, Sam has since lost his mother to cancer and said lessons learned during the pandemic helped him cope with further grief.

Other accounts document the emotional impact of bereavement more broadly. A student identified as Ella said losing her grandfather during Covid prompted her to value time with her grandmother and to try to "catch up on the lost moments". The testimonies record many families' experiences of sudden deaths occurring alongside restrictions that limited traditional grieving, including online or physically distanced funerals.

Inquiry lead Kate Eisenstein, who is part of the team managing the hearings, said the pandemic represented a "life‑changing set of circumstances" for children and teenagers. She told the BBC the collected testimony offers "an unprecedented insight into children's inner world," showing a remarkable variety of outcomes depending on family circumstances and other factors.

The shift of much daily life onto digital platforms was an almost universal theme. Some children reported positive uses of online tools to maintain education and social contact, while others described excessive screen time. One contributor said they spent up to 19 hours a day online and became "really anxious." Reports also described young people comparing their appearance with online images, gaming and social media distracting from learning, and increased exposure to adults seeking to exploit children, including by sending nude images and inappropriate messages.

A student named Aaliyah, who was 11 during lockdown, said social isolation led to hours on social media and affected her self‑confidence. "With the content I was seeing online, I'd start to look in the mirror and go, 'I could change that about myself,' or 'I don't really like that about myself,'" she said.

Health effects include ongoing illness linked to Covid. The report includes the case of Avalyn, now 16, who contracted Covid in October 2021 and developed long Covid. She was home‑schooled through her GCSEs because of debilitating fatigue and waited about a year for a formal diagnosis and specialist advice. Despite health setbacks, Avalyn said she has achieved four GCSEs and has pursued creative activities, writing and illustrating two self‑published children's books while engaging with a performing arts group as her energy allows.

The testimonies show that experiences varied sharply by home environment. Some children flourished in secure homes and benefited from flexible online learning; others, particularly those in fragile family situations, reported intensified mental health problems and increased exposure to domestic violence. The report records both accounts of resilience and accounts of harm, underscoring stark differences in how children experienced the pandemic.

The inquiry will hear evidence from the report over the four weeks allocated to children and young people, with sessions expected to probe schooling disruption, mental health impacts, bereavement, digital risks and the experiences of those with long Covid. The evidence will be considered alongside other submissions to help the inquiry establish what happened for children and young people during the pandemic and what lessons should be drawn for future emergency planning.

As the hearings approach, the report’s authors and the inquiry team have emphasised the value of listening directly to young people's voices to inform assessments of policy and practice. The published timetable shows the sessions on children and young people will be one element of a broader public inquiry into government decisions, health service responses and societal impacts during the pandemic.

Public and professional organisations have previously highlighted concerns about learning loss, mental health pressures and unequal access to support services during the pandemic. The forthcoming inquiry sessions are likely to revisit these issues in light of the detailed, personal accounts now assembled, and to consider what changes are needed to protect children and young people in any future public health emergency.

The inquiry team has said it will use the testimonies to inform questions to witnesses and to understand both individual and systemic effects of the pandemic on younger people. The hearings, running from 29 September to 23 October, will present an opportunity for the inquiry to assess how well institutions identified and responded to children's needs during the crisis and what measures might reduce harm in the future.