Amid coronavirus, teenagers struggle with anxiety and distance learning, survey reveals
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Teenagers have seen their school and home lives upended amid the coronavirus pandemic and are struggling with anxiety and social distancing protocols, a new survey revealed.
According to the survey, conducted by Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey, eight out of 10 teenagers are following news about COVID-19 closely and more than 60 percent are worried that they or a family member will be exposed to the virus and that it will impact their family's ability to earn a living.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A majority of teenagers, 54 percent, say they are "very much" practicing social distancing. However, much larger majorities of teens say they’ve stopped attending public events or places such as restaurants, movies or concerts (81 percent) and stopped meeting with close friends in person (68 percent).
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Teenagers are struggling with anxiety and learning from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}That physical distance is having an impact on their mental well-being, the survey found.
Forty-two percent of teens said that they feel “more lonely than usual” right now -- which is almost the same as those who say they feel “about as lonely as usual,” at 43 percent. Just 15 percent say they feel “less lonely than usual.”
In addition, slightly more than half of teens who are not attending school in-person say they are worried about not being able to keep with their schoolwork.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As with the novel coronavirus' infection and death rates, there is a racial disparity in terms of how teens are responding, according to the new data.
In the survey, teenagers of color were more likely to say they’re worried about exposure to the virus and about the potential economic fallout for their family.
In particular, nearly nine in 10 Hispanic teens say they’re worried about the impact on their family’s ability to make a living.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As of Thursday afternoon, the novel coronavirus had infected at least 1.5 million people worldwide, including more than 452,000 in the United States.