“They go from engaged learners to sad, depressed, staying in their rooms despite all your attempts to give them a balanced day,” said one parent, Ross Novie.
“He’s in isolation, so I think what it does to him is it increases his anxiety,” said another, Roxanna Aguirre.
According to Rick Birt, president and CEO of Students Against Destructive Decisions, socializing is an important part of the way teenagers function, which the pandemic changed.
“The very nature of how young people exist, how they socialize, it’s been interrupted and cut off in some form,” Birt said.
SADD put together a mental health toolkit for kids and their parents to check in on the effects those changes may be having.
“Our message to parents is there is help, there are resources you can tap into, as a young person there are things you can do to help your friend and that starts first with having a conversation,” Birt said.
