In Wake of the Pandemic: Peer Orientation and the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Main Notes

• There is a deteriorating mental and emotional health crisis among children and youth internationally.
• The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing mental health issues in children and youth.
• School violence, attention problems, self-cutting, and youth suicide are on the rise.
• During the pandemic, there was a significant increase in depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues among children.
• Social isolation during the pandemic revealed an unhealthy dependence on peer groups.
• About 20% of children thrived when kept home from school, benefiting from increased time with parents and family.
• Peer orientation is now considered normal but is neither healthy nor natural.
• Children were evolutionarily designed to be raised in a community of nurturing adults, with peer contacts occurring under adult guidance.
• The erosion of child/adult attachments has led to numerous mental health and developmental problems in youth.
• Mental health and emotional well-being are rooted in care and feeling.
• Attachment is the hidden delivery system for giving and receiving care.
• Children must be in a receptive mode to receive care, which is hindered by peer orientation.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences, including the erosion of attachment relationships, contribute to mental suffering.
• Peer-oriented children cannot receive care from parents, even if it's available, due to disconnected attachment.
• The ability to feel cared for involves vulnerability, which peer-oriented children often cannot afford.
• Emotional development, not behavior or self-regulation, is the foundation of psychological well-being.
• Modern life has made consistent availability of attuned and emotionally reliable caregivers less available for many children.
• Research has shown a decrease in sensory perception and general awareness in young people since the 1960s.
• Increased screen time is associated with language delay, poor sleep, impaired executive function, and decreased parent-child engagement.
• Digital media is often used as a stress and fatigue mediator for parents, but at a cost to children's development.
• Excessive screen use disrupts children's healthy development and mental health.
• A 'cascade of care' system is proposed, where each healthy adult attachment of the child fosters another.
• Creating a new normal in line with evolutionary requirements is necessary for children's well-being.
• Play, creativity, and artistic expression are essential for brain development and emotional maturation.
• Schools should focus on embedding children in cascading care with nurturing adults.
• Free play is an irreducible need of childhood that is being sacrificed to consumerism and digital media.
• Artistic activities like theater, music, and art can provide spaces for emotional expression and improve well-being.
• The post-pandemic world necessitates rebuilding and honoring the attachment relationship between adults and children.
• Unplugging from the digital world, inviting children's dependence, and connecting with nature are recommended actions.
• Adults need to be present and attentive when with children to foster a sense of invitation and connection.