Humans are Social Creatures

This time I would like to dedicate the column to a very important issue of mental health that is not highlighted enough now. It is more important than ever, with the struggle of people in isolation during lockdowns around the world as well as the “pandemic of fear” some media spread without realizing how fragile and vulnerable we can be to negative news that we not be bombarded with fear 24/7 and expect a healthy population.

News programs especially should consult with a psychologist for the best ways to communicate better information with more transparency and certainly more accountability for how it impacts its audiences.

The teenagers are whom I worried most in this regard. Just because of the age they are going through with their development and hormones, the communication with peer groups for them is much more important than for any others.

Younger children would maybe even appreciate staying in closer contact with their parents during lockdowns. For kids ten and older, while they are not mature enough to alone decided how to entertain themselves appropriately or to communicate with one another effectively, severe consequences can occur

Being all the time on their gadgets, whether it is online schooling or just because they are bored and don’t have enough willpower to force themselves to do anything offline, they become apathetic, distressed and in a place most unhealthy mentally and emotionally. If something is not done, we are going to lose this generation.

More and more I see those almost typical stories on media like the wave of suicides among teenagers in Ukraine especially after winter lockdown. And this problem is relevant not only here but in others countries too. Mum Calls For Schools To Return As Lockdown Takes Devastating Toll On Daughter

The kids are crying for help but are the governments hearing that bell?. Was there enough done to weigh the virus threat to younger people and the threat to their mental state?

I felt very sad to notice the same symptoms with my child too after the month we spent in lockdown in England. The weeks of non-communication led to my son becoming sociophobic and depressed. I also noticed how in social media like Tik Tok, teenagers share the same negative attitudes and dark thoughts.

The question myself — like any other mother would ask – is “Are we prepared to risk the mental health of that generation to that extent? Humans are social creatures and that must be taken into account.