9 Long-Term Negative Effects of Social Isolation on Children and Adolescents

While the Covid-19 epidemic has completed its first year in the world, children and young people under the age of 1 have spent most of this period in isolation at home and continue to do so. Although they liked this process at first, their stay away from physical activity started to have negative effects both psychologically and anatomically in time. Altan Yalım, an expert physiotherapist from Therapy Sport Center Physical Therapy Center, who touched on the Covid-20 pandemic process, which is open-ended and we do not yet know when it will go from our lives, said:

“In this period, when it is not clear exactly when the epidemic will return us to our old free world, the long-term effects of social isolation on children and young people are inevitable. "We must make room for sports activities that will distract our children and young people from the classroom and social media environment," he said.

Specialist Physiotherapist Altan Yalım talked about the physical and mental problems that social isolation can cause in children and young people in the long term:

1-Posture disorders caused by spending long hours in front of the screen in this period where education and training are completely dependent on the screen.

2-Developmental retardation that occurs in both the size and length of the muscles that are away from necessary physical activity.

3- Problems that may arise in young people who need less energy due to lack of activity, as a result of taking less building blocks than they should take into their bodies as a result of low nutrition.

4- Increase in obesity and joint problems caused by overeating in home environment.

5-Retardation in coordination and balance skills in children that develop with street or school games.

6-Short stature due to the low incidence of the necessary growth stresses on the bones.

7-Psychological pressure and depression caused by the uncertain environment and protective pressures of families on young people.

8-Future concerns that arise, especially in children who are in the exam period.

9-Training deficiencies in children and young people who want to turn to professional sports.