Study Shows Children Saw Improved Mental Well-Being Early on During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Conducted by nonprofit Let Grow and analyzed by Dr. Peter Gray, the study shows children benefitted from unstructured time during the initial lockdown last spring

NEW YORK - JULY 28, 2021 -- Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence, and Dr. Peter Gray, a professor of psychology at Boston College, recently published their study results on the positive effects of the lockdown on children in April and May 2020. The study, published in the  American Journal of Play, found that for many children, their mental well-being improved early on during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Let Grow conducted several large-scale, demographically representative surveys online of children, ages 8–13, and their families in April and May 2020. The results are the opposite of what health experts—both in journals and the national media—feared at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many anticipated negative impacts on children such as increased stress, heightened anxiety, and depression, Let Grow and Dr. Gray found the opposite to be true.

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