COVID Kindergarten

by Allen Forrest / April 25th, 2025

Findings In this systematic review of 36 studies from 11 countries, school closures and social lockdown during the first COVID-19 wave were associated with adverse mental health symptoms (such as distress and anxiety) and health behaviors (such as higher screen time and lower physical activity) among children and adolescents.

— Russell Viner, Simon Russell, Rosella Saulle, et al. “School Closures During Social Lockdown and Mental Health, Health Behaviors, and Well-being Among Children and Adolescents During the First COVID-19 Wave: A Systematic Review, JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(4):400-409. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5840, 18 January 2022,

Allen Forrest is a writer, painter, graphic artist and activist. He has created covers and illustrations for literary publications and books, is the winner of the Leslie Jacoby Honor for Art at San Jose State University's Reed Magazine for 2015, and his Bel Red landscape paintings are part of the Bellevue College Foundation's permanent art collection in Bellevue, WA. He lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Read other articles by Allen, or visit Allen's website.

This article was posted on Friday, April 25th, 2025 at 7:40am and is filed under Cartoon, Children/Youth, COVID-19, Health/Medical.