Open schools! Weighing the effects of viruses and lockdowns on children

Abstract

This review weighs the risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 against the side effects of school closures on physical and mental health, education, and well-being of those affected by the school closures. Whereas short term effects - decreased learning and food security, and increased anxiety, violence against children, child labor and teen pregnancies - are frequently discussed, the long-term effects of school closures will be much more detrimental across the lifespan of the "Generation Corona": Existing pandemics of inactivity and myopia, already affecting billions of people, are worsening due to less physical exercise and less time spent outdoors, poor diet, weight gain, and increased screen time during lockdowns, causing future increases of stroke, heart attack, cancer, and blindness. Socio-emotional complications of isolation, learned helplessness, economic and existential insecurity will include increased depression and suicide, decreased empathy and increased loneliness. Together with decreased educational attainment and economic productivity, the amount of ensuing increased future global morbidity and mortality justifies immediate action of school reopening.

Keywords: COVID-19; Distance learning; E-learning; Online learning; Pandemic.

Fig. 1

Location and duration of school closures by country, as demonstrated by this map modified from the UNESCO press release, January 25^th, 2021 (https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-figures-show-two-thirds-academic-year-lost-average-worldwide-due-covid-19-school; accessed February 16^th, 2021; modified to render a coloring of a “heatmap” with warmer colors indicating longer school closures). Schools were fully closed for an average of 3.5 months (14 weeks) since the onset of the pandemic. Localized school closures lasted, on average, for 5.5 months (22 weeks), what amounts to two-thirds of the academic year.

Fig. 2

Daily new infections in Israel (modified Screenshot from the Johns Hopkins University dashboard taken on January 29^th 2021) from March 2020 until January 2021. The timing of three very stringent lockdowns and some restrictions in social activities during summer was entered by the author in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of these measures.

Fig. 3

Average daily use (in hours) of computer games (red) and social media (blue) by children and adolescents in September 2019 (before lockdown; lighter colors) and April 2020 (during lockdown; darker colors) on school days (left) and days with no school (weekends, holidays, lockdown; right). The corresponding column sections left and right all differ highly significantly with p <0.001 (based on data from b, p. 83, redrawn by the author).

Fig. 4

The development of the eyeball clarifies the pathophysiology of myopia. The eyes of children (top) grow until they are in focus (2^nd from top). Looking at close range (i.e., at a book or a smartphone) during eye growth causes the eyeball to become too long (3^rd from top) and thereby short-sighted (bottom). Not to scale; taken from .

Fig. 5

Notice from the Federal Ministry of Education in China (http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2021-02/01/content_5584120.htm) on January 15^th, 2021. Abbreviated translation: In order to protect students' vision, allow students to focus on learning, prevent Internet addiction, and promote physical and mental health, schools should inform students and parents that cell phones are generally not allowed to be brought to school. If a student truly needs to bring a cell phone to school, written parental consent must be provided. After entering the school, the cell phone must be kept by the school. It is forbidden to bring it into the classroom.

Fig. 6

Rate of COVID-19 infections in communities and their schools in New York State (after Oster 2020). Left: Children in grades 1 to 7 (elementary and junior high; blue dots) are only about half as infectious as members of their community. Right: adolescent students (orange dots) and adult teachers (red dots) are as infectious as their community.