French rights defender Claire Hédon has warned that Covid-19 restrictions are having a detrimental impact on the mental health of young French people.
In her annual report on the rights of the child, Hédon found that "the initial lockdown has led to a general increase in depressive syndromes and even a doubling in the 15-24 age group - 10% of them had a depressive syndrome in 2019, compared with more than 20% in 2020."
The reported also noted an increase in "anxiety disorders" and "social phobias".
Due to be officially published on the International Children's Rights Day on 20th of November, the report is based on the content of up to 3,000 complaints received by the human rights defender.
It also includes consultations with children and medical professionals, as well as teachers.
The closure of schools and distance learning aggravated "the risks of addiction to screens", noted children's rights advocate Eric Delemar, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday.
Professionals "have called us to account for the difficulties of circadian rhythms, eating disorders, sleep problems of children, who are exhausted in schools, who suffer from attention problems. The teachers have trouble getting them to work on projects," he explained.
"We say [to young people] 'don't spend too much time in front of the screens', but in fact we ask them to attend classes in front of a screen - these are things that are contradictory and complicated for children," Hédon commented on France Inter on Wednesday.
Santé mentale des enfants : "Il y a urgence à agir", estime la défenseure des droits des enfants Claire Hédon. "Un enfant qui ne va pas bien aura des difficultés d'apprentissage, fera un adulte qui ne va pas bien dans une société qui ne va pas bien" #le79inter pic.twitter.com/mo5raZRnJQ
— France Inter (@franceinter) November 17, 2021
Public health priority
"The requests for consultations in child psychiatry have increased, the delays have increased", she told journalists on Tuesday, judging that the mental health of children should become a "public priority".
"The whole world of child psychiatry has been warning about the lack of resources. We can't have six months or a year's waiting time for an appointment to see a shrink", she underlined, pointing to the lack of staff in public pychiatric and psychological centres for children.
Hédon starkly commented that "a child who is not well, will become an adult who is not well, who will live in a society that is not well."
Children and young people felt that they were not being listened to or consulted during the height of the pandemic, and almost impossible for a child to get treatment unless his or her parents actively made the effort.
- French parents seek legal action over reintroduction of Covid masks for kids
- French study shows lockdown reduced kids' physical and intellectual capacities
Left to their own devices
Meanwhile, school bullying which affects about 700,000 children in France remained the main source of many the complaints received, where children were are not listened to either, citing lack of reactivity from school institutions.
"The schools say 'this is happening on social networks, it's not my place'. But what we see is that it starts at school and goes off the rails on social networks," Hédon remarked on France Inter.
"It is essential for schools to train young people in their rights .. When a child knows their rights, they understand what they are experiencing is not normal. It makes others aware. It frees up speech," she concluded.
The report also makes an additional 29 general recommendations, including the improvement of childcare facilities, developing parent support and opening more "teenager centres" across the country.
