How lockdown sparked a wave of anxiety among Britain’s children

I knew what ‘anxiety’ meant when I was in primary school. But it was not a word I had cause to use regularly, as I moved from my pastel coloured class-room to my David Cassidy-filled suburban bedroom. Today, however, ‘anxiety’ is our children’s word of the year, according to the Oxford University Press.

We can’t be surprised. The past two years represent a small proportion of my lifespan – but for a six year old, they are a third of their existence. Daily reports of a mysterious illness, hearing about people dying around them – some of them friends or family — and being banned from venturing outside their home: Covid milestones filled the sombre calendar of 2019/2020.

Children shared another unsettling experience, too: they witnessed their parents’ loss of authority. The government, with its ‘follow the science’ rules, repeatedly challenged parents during lockdown. Schools were closed down, even when working parents pointed to the impossible juggling act expected of them. Children