Children developing psychological issues due to impacts of second COVID wave: Experts

After the second wave of COVID-19, children, due to increased screen time, no social interaction, and less interaction with parents who don’t have time for them despite doing work from home, are falling prey to psychological issues, experts said. 

There are developmental delays in children aged two to three, Paediatrician Dr Meena J said, adding anxiety and behavioural issues are prevalent among older kids.  
"Children usually start speaking by two to three years but we are seeing speech delays. They have learnt some activity but are not performing it. For instance, there were some kids who were toilet trained but they are wetting their beds or they don't tell their parents when they want to go to the washroom," she told news agency PTI. 

She said that children, who are neither young nor teenagers, are facing learning disabilities, throwing temper tantrums, are wary of socialising, and are becoming aggressive. “Some of them have developed a social phobia and stranger anxiety,” she said, adding, “Children who come for treatment are scared to interact with us," PTI reported. 

According to experts, the arrested development of children is mainly due to the lockdown imposed due to the second COVID wave, the severity of it, and fear of infection.  

Due to prolonged lockdown, everyone, including parents and children, is on a short fuse, Senior Pediatric Consultant Dr Nameet Jerath told PTI.  

Dr Jitendra Nagpal, Child Psychology and Psychiatrist at Moolchand Hospital, said they witness two-three such cases daily as he added that teenagers, in particular, are having a rough time.  
"Never were they so disconnected from school, their friends and inner circles. These avenues helped them make an identity for themselves. Unfortunately, they are delusional about their identity now," he told PTI. 

Children who were confident by nature have become insecure individuals due to the carnage of the second wave, media reporting of it, and the constant of fear getting infected by parents.  
 
"Teenagers anyway have issues with their parents. But now with everyone staying at home, the issues are mounting. There are body image issues also cropping up and if the parents talk about it, their children tell them not to body shame them," he told PTI.