Supporting Teenagers in a Pandemic

When it comes to supporting teenagers during the pandemic, schools and families need to work together to coordinate social-emotional as well as academic support — whether learning ends up taking place at home or in the classroom.

In a webinar for the Society for Research on Adolescence, developmental psychologist Nancy Hill observed that schools have always provided teens with a space to think independently, to experiment, and to form support networks with peers. Yet in the middle of a pandemic, this space to build their identities may be lost, impacting their overall wellbeing and development.

Hill identified six developmental areas, in addition to academics, that schools have traditionally helped nurture. Here, we summarize her suggestions for how schools can work with families to continue to do so in a pandemic.

Six ways families and schools can foster adolescent development

1.    Peer Groups and Social Connections

Schools provide young people with a chance to develop relationships with peers, and for teens, these relationships are often key contexts for their development of identity. Whether formed through affinities and alliance groups, interest-based clubs, or a group projects, these relationships help teens stay connected to school and enhance their understanding of who they are as a learner. The loss of these relationships can lead to increased anxiety and feelings of isolation.

2.    Opportunities to Feel Competent

Teens feel the pressure to keep up with their peers both academically and socially. Falling behind can undermine their perception of themselves as a good student and as a community member.

3.    Being Part of the Solution

In addition to feeling capable, adolescents like to contribute to and feel valued by their communities. Especially in a pandemic when powerlessness and helplessness are common, teens need to feel they have control over their lives and can make a difference.

4.    Changes in the Parent-Child Relationship

Teens and their parents often clash around questions of autonomy and control. The pandemic especially may have heightened these conflicts, as parents often had to oversee remote learning last spring. Research suggests that having parents directly instruct their adolescent children is unproductive; parents are more successful in supporting their teenagers by helping to establish work habits, managing time, and motivating kids.

5.    Mental health

According to a recent study, 81% of students have said that the pandemic has made their mental health problems worse. Losing school routines can cause an increase in feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and isolation. Schools provide mental health services and other supports on site, but the pandemic may make it difficult to identify students who are in need

6.    Safety

When schools are open, parents and communities know that teenagers are safe during the day. However, when schools are closed, Hill notes that inequities around safety and monitoring are exacerbated — particularly for young people whose parents are required to work, who have to care for younger siblings, or live in high density, urban areas where the risk for exposure is higher.

Parents can help youth learn to be independent by:

• Encouraging them to create a plan for getting their schoolwork done. This will allow teens to take ownership and responsibility for their schoolwork while practicing time management.
• Being sensitive to the fact that teenagers’ biological clocks lead them to stay up late and sleep late.
• Recognizing that socializing is an important need at this point in a young person’s life and helps them develop their own identity. Let them connect safely with friends.
• Knowing that teens often want to talk about how their interests factor into “the big picture” and want to know why a class matters. Parents can talk with them about their plans for the future and how school factors into that plan.

Excerpted from “Supporting Teenagers in a Pandemic” from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education blog Usable Knowledge. Read the full article for detailed advice on how to accomplish each of the six recommendations.

Source: Usable Knowledge | Supporting Teenagers in a Pandemic, https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/20/08/supporting-teenagers-pandemic | ©2020 President and Fellows of Harvard College

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