To think young people have been totally forgotten ??

[Mossang3l]

I was watching something earlier and it was the very elderly talking about how the community has come together to take care of them. Christmas dinners, companionship, gifts, phone calls, check ins etc. Wonderful. I’m very happy they are being looked after.

But it’s really struck a chord with me. There is NOTHING like this to look after the young even though they are sacrificing so much for everyone else.

They don’t have careers or adult social connections, they’re probably single, they’re missing their educations and exams, they’re probably the highest percentage to have lost their jobs, they can’t see their friends, their future prospects have been reduced massively (through the economy, educational inequalities, brexit etc).

They’re all lonely and isolated and scared and all that adults seem to do is bitch about students and the young. They’re moaned about and criminalised just for being young (well they were is September anyway but it’s stuck I fear). Far too many of them are committing suicide and yet still nothing happens.

My daughter (20) lost her job and can’t get a new one, hasn’t been into uni once and is so lonely. She signed up to volunteer with every organisation she could find and hasn’t heard back from a single one.

Surely we need to be doing more to help the young ? I fear they are being totally forgotten and may be having the worst time of all.

[quote firstimemamma]@hammeringinmyhead there are absolutely zero baby and toddler groups anywhere near me and that's been the case since March. Literally nothing. [/quote]
Well, they are allowed to start up (or were) so that's their lookout. We have 2 church groups running plus Sing and Sign. To combat this lack of facilities the government allowed any household with an under-1 to form a bubble with another household.

Young adults have definitely had to give up the most as far as restricting their normal activities for the benefit of others they've given up exactly the same as everyone else.

Have you got evidence for that Cocomarine because everything I've seen seems to indicate the opposite except for in very infrequent circumstances? She only had it a couple of months ago.

Definitely. Personally I think the working population and those in higher education should be prioritised for the vaccine. Don’t understand why those who are able to shield in their homes and don’t have to go out to work are being done first. It makes no sense.

I wonder whether the government is prioritising the elderly and vulnerable, or whether they are simply trying to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed. As in, the elderly and vulnerable are the most likely to take up hospital beds and that's what the government need to control. I think the acid test will be once the virus is brought down to levels that the NHS can cope with, do we keep curtailing the lives of the young to protect the elderly, or are we then able to let "a manageable number" of people die? I can't help wondering what will happen then.

Totally agree OP. The young have lost a year of the most pivotal time of their lives and have had their future prospects dramatically reduced in order to keep their grandparents alive. There is no comparison between losing a year in your 40s or 80s.

But would that be any better if you were a decade older and in the same boat? Given your already a mature student it's not like it's unlikely they're agent people in their 30s or 40s who are students and single parents living in small accommodation. Chances are their parents would be older so potentially more likely to be at risk. It isn't the preserve of the young to be suffering right now

I can't understand everything you've said but I won't be in the same boat in a decade so this is my experience of being 20 something. Not to say people in their 30s and 40s won't be in the same situation. I think people tend to fondly look back on their 20s and place a lot of emphasis on that time.

Many of the young people are also the vulnerable ones.

And I'm not talking people who were obviously ill before Covid struck, but seemingly healthy young people, like my dd's friend who is now having to drop out of her dream education as she has developed LongCovid and is unable to study or live independently.

I have students in their early 20s who are in the high risk category, but who are perfectly healthy in themselves. They suffer just as much from giving up their usual life as the ones who don't have an underlying condition (or don't know they do).

I'm rural. There's only 1 breastfeeding group (a 15 mile drive away) once 1hr a week in normal times, there's fuck all now. No HV visits since post birth at 6 weeks. Nothing. No support.

I was on my knees with tiredness and (I now realise, looking back) in a severe mental health crisis after having my first child, despite a supportive partner, I have no idea what state I'd be in if it had happened just a bit later during full lockdown.

Not every one is in London / a major city in England, many of the aspects of support people mention on here during lockdown are totally not within the reality of other parts of the United Kingdom. Mothers here have been all but abandoned.

I agree with you op

that is from stats that consider obesity to be an underlying health condition
@Tal45 @Xenia and autism. And treatment for a mental health condition. Those stats are pretty much nonsense.

There are comments on this thread saying that everyone has suffered the same.

However, surely the toll on young people is greater because they have more years ahead of them in which to feel the impact. Older people have come to expect pensions, health care, education for their kids, social services and a welfare system. All of these things will be compromised for our children’s generation, and possibly won’t even exist.

To me this means that the young will be disproportionately harmed by our response to covid. It is not about who has it harder now. It is about who suffers the most for the longest period of their lives.

@Macaroni46 I'm primary school staff and I agree with you.

The 16 the 25 group are being badly effected as are secondary children. My 17 yr old has not been in 6th form for more then half the time he should have been. No scouts ,not working, no finding his feet as a young adult, no uni open days, no collage trips , driving lesson chaos and God knows when he's going to be able to sit test. I worry hes not been able to develop the social skills and awareness he'll need if going to college. My 80 yr old parents and in laws have missed out on a few holidays some coffes and seeing the grandchildren in real life ( our choice). All can use zoom. One set the in laws have been out meeting friends for coffee and eating out in a teir 3 area. My 17 year old asked me why he was giving up so much to protect them . I wasn't able to answer him. I work in nhs front line . No vacine yet but my in laws been done. Hospital struggling due to low staffing. Perhaps we need to look at who we are vaccinating....

@Oliv5

But would that be any better if you were a decade older and in the same boat? Given your already a mature student it's not like it's unlikely they're agent people in their 30s or 40s who are students and single parents living in small accommodation. Chances are their parents would be older so potentially more likely to be at risk. It isn't the preserve of the young to be suffering right now

I can't understand everything you've said but I won't be in the same boat in a decade so this is my experience of being 20 something. Not to say people in their 30s and 40s won't be in the same situation. I think people tend to fondly look back on their 20s and place a lot of emphasis on that time.

Jesus, my typos. Not surprised you struggled sorry

My point is yes you're going through this in your 20s so it's a year of your 20s wasted. But what if it was a year of someone in their 30s in the same circumstances? That's seemingly ok according to this thread because it's "the young" who are suffering most. Little that people experience in their final teen years and 20s is unique to their age group, but apparently it's solo much worse for those people. Arguably you have longer to make up for the lost time than me

It is a pandemic - we all suffer to different degrees. Looking to the future there was no certainty around pensions and health care before the pandemic - like the death of the high street/using cards rather than cash...covid 19 has speeded up this process of change. Young people should be able to look forward, change and adapt - if your son/daughter is 'stuck in their bedroom,' suffering with their mental health because of the pandemic then help them find a way forward. There is a lot of miss information on this thread - education hasn't stopped, colleges haven't closed, universities are still open - GCSE's, A levels and Degrees will be achieved, things will recover.

@Flyonawalk

There are comments on this thread saying that everyone has suffered the same.

However, surely the toll on young people is greater because they have more years ahead of them in which to feel the impact. Older people have come to expect pensions, health care, education for their kids, social services and a welfare system. All of these things will be compromised for our children’s generation, and possibly won’t even exist.

To me this means that the young will be disproportionately harmed by our response to covid. It is not about who has it harder now. It is about who suffers the most for the longest period of their lives.

But people are 20s or younger or pensionable age. Surely someone in their 20s has longer to make up for missed opportunities than someone in their 30s. Delaying pregnancy say, buying a house, getting established in a career. Or is it that we don't really care about those in their 30s or 40s because they've had an opportunity to enjoy their youth so bugger it of they suffer now?

@BillyElliotsLeftShoe

I'm rural. There's only 1 breastfeeding group (a 15 mile drive away) once 1hr a week in normal times, there's fuck all now. No HV visits since post birth at 6 weeks. Nothing. No support.

I was on my knees with tiredness and (I now realise, looking back) in a severe mental health crisis after having my first child, despite a supportive partner, I have no idea what state I'd be in if it had happened just a bit later during full lockdown.

Not every one is in London / a major city in England, many of the aspects of support people mention on here during lockdown are totally not within the reality of other parts of the United Kingdom. Mothers here have been all but abandoned.

Ah but there's apparently SD baby groups that ran for a few weeks on low risk areas so we're all fine 🤣. No visit here from 6 weeks either til I sobbed down the phone at 7 months and someone agreed to see us. One year checks will be done by telephone whenever they have chance. No one will see them or me unless it's a crisis. But you know, there's always baby club on cbeebies so we mustn't complain

Yes, you’re spot on there OP. Of all the groups that are suffering from lockdown and ongoing restrictions it’s teens and young people who have had it worst I think. In the main they’re not benefiting at all from the measures, but the long term cost to them is going to be massive and so far it has barely been mentioned. It’s not just the educational and economic impacts, huge though they are - they’re being asked to curb all their instinctive social behaviour (at that age you’re basically hard-wired to be sociable) and behave in a wholly artificial way, then being demonised when they fall short. If I were an 18-year-old right now I’d be absolutely livid.

They’re far from being the only forgotten group though; I’d also add toddlers and preschoolers (long term effects of lack of early socialisation and communication have barely been factored in), younger schoolchildren (I have no truck with the ‘primary aged kids will catch up easily’ argument) and mothers, especially working mothers - women are bearing the brunt of lockdown pressures and will also likely suffer the most from the economic fallout.

No. Your 20s and teens are key development stage and you don’t get that time back. A year stuck at home in your 30s and 40s is very very different to that stick in your teens /20s when you are biologically programmed to explore and meet people/a mate.

Studies have also found that those who graduate during a recession never catch up and still have lower earnings years later.

Missing graduation, freshers year at home, these are experiences you never get back.

@Xenia

Yes, we (the world not just the UK) chose through lockdowns to sacrifice theyoung for the old and sick. It was the wrong decision.

"377 people aged under 60 with no underlying health conditions have died of Covid-19 in England's hospitals since the start of the pandemic."

377 v the destructions of so many lives and the huge financial cost to the nation never mind biggest breach of our human rights in our history.

Couldn't agree more

All this thread shows, is that every age (though not every person of that age) is suffering.
to all.

I think, as has already been said, that yes, it is incredibly difficult for young people. But I don't agree that they've been forgotten about. It is just that there aren't any obvious solutions. They may wouldn't benefit from meals on wheels, assuming they live with family or housemates, or a phone call from a kindly stranger. The help they need is going to have to come later I think. It is shit for people with young dcs as well I think. Especially stay at home mums. It isn't as if SAHMs can go out and volunteer in the day. And everything has been cancelled more or less.

Then there's the economy, which is a huge worry for anyone, especially people with kids to feed and clothe.

I'm fully supportive of trying to get the virus under control as well though. It is basically an absolute shitter all round.

@SleepingStandingUp I deliberately didn’t specify ages, though as I stated I am most appalled by what we are costing children and teenagers. I am in my forties and do not expect that pension provision or cradle-to-grave healthcare will exist in twenty years. The scale of government debt will necessitate severe cuts to these services.

Yes we are all affected. To me it is most grievously unjust that the longest toll of lockdown will affect our youngest people.

@Cocomarine

All this thread shows, is that every age (though not every person of that age) is suffering. to all.

Yes, I agree. Got anything stronger ?