The current situation is difficult for everyone, but there are particular challenges for young people in the 13 – 19 age group. Social interaction is important at all stages of development, but socialisation outside the family plays a particularly important part in adolescent development. Research suggests that adolescence is a key time for the development of regions of the brain involved in social cognition and self-awareness and that a lack of social interaction during adolescence has lasting consequences in adulthood. Lucy Thompson has reviewed the research for us and provided a summary for our Research web page. The impact and implications for our young people are described in this comment piece for the Guardian by Donna Ferguson: A survival guide for parents during family isolation

With this in mind we have gathered resources to support your young people at home, with a particular focus on teenagers:

From The Counseling Teacher: I can control/I cannot control visual

BBC Bitesize: How to look after your mental wellbeing at home

Young Minds: What to do if you’re anxious about coronavirus

Lisa Damour, writing in the New York Times reminds us that because of coronavirus, teenagers are missing out on many rites of passage. She recommends offering compassion in this piece: Quaranteenagers: Strategies for Parenting in Close Quarters.