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Social anxiety and loneliness rife among children in post-Covid world

Feelings of anxiety in social situations and difficulties with peer interactions have become commonplace among children and young people facing mental health challenges.

Eight in 10 of the children and young people who were supported by mental health charity Place2Be last year said they felt anxiety in social situations; 65% said they had difficulties with peer interactions.

Place2Be works with schools across the country supporting whole-school mental health and offering targeted counselling. It reaches more than 240,000 pupils a year.

The data was collected as part of the assessment that takes place when a child or young person is referred via school, parent, or self-referral for in-school counselling with Place2Be.

However, it reflects what many schools have reported anecdotally – that Covid-19 lockdown and regular self-isolation have had a negative impact on friendships and classroom connections. A key priority for many schools since has been helping pupils improve their social skills and interactions.

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