University Of Washington Reveals Shocking COVID Impact On Teens

The impact of COVID-19, and decisions made during the pandemic, are still being studied by researchers around the world.  Some of those impacts, like the effect on small businesses, were easy to diagnose.  Others, like the lingering effect of the lockdowns, school closures, and societal separation, are still being gauged.

Much concern has been raised over the long term effects that those decisions had on school age children and teens.  As more time has passed since the pandemic, it has become clearer the impact on teens has been profound.  In January of last year the National Institute of Mental Health (part of the NIH) released a report detailing the mental health and brain development issues seen in teens post pandemic.

Different studies focusing on learning loss among students brought concerning data to the forefront.  Some areas of the country were hit harder than others in that regard.  The Education Recovery Scorecard focuses of the estimated lifetime economic impact on students in different school districts around the nation.

The Economic Impact Is Shocking

In Washington State it is estimated students in the Highline School District in Seattle will lose $422,663,139 over the course of their lifetime.  The Sunnyside School District in Yakima shows a $166,420,771 lifetime income loss for students and the Reardan-Edwall School District’s students in Spokane may suffer a $12,251,886 income loss over their lifetimes.

Economic Impact May Not Be The Most Concerning Data Discovered

Researchers with the University of Washington revealed in a paper on September 9th a major discovery regarding the impact of COVID on the adolescent brain structure.  They found an accelerated maturation of the brains in boys and girls, with a more pronounced impact on teen girls.  Brain maturation is measured by the thickness of the cerebral cortex (the gray matter in your brain).  It thins as you get older but certain factors can have a negative impact on that thinning process

The UW researchers discovered that measured in years of accelerated brain maturation, boys averaged an increase of almost 1 1/2 years while girls averaged an astounding 4.2 years of accelerated maturation.  The original study began in 2018 with the goal of evaluating changes in brain structure during typical adolescence involving 160 students. The focus changed once the pandemic was in full effect.

The lingering question is if this is a permanent impact or if it can be reversed.  Patricia Kuhl, the senior author and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences said:

It is possible that there might be some recovery.  On the other hand, it’s also possible to imagine that brain maturation will remain accelerated in these teens…The pandemic provided a test case for the fragility of teenagers’ brains.

The profound impacts of the pandemic, and the decisions made around it, are still being discovered.  Hopefully this information will be helpful to inform decision makers if another pandemic threatens society.