Children’s views in the times of COVID-19

Abstract

In the spring of 2020, the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland called for narratives from Icelandic children on being a child in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has affected their daily lives and routine. Their answers are analysed in this article. The narratives are divided into five categories: discussions on the general effect of the pandemic, as well as four recurring issues in the children’s answers; that is school, leisure activities, family and friends and responses to COVID-19. The pandemic has had a profound impact on our society, not least on children and their families.

It is clear from the answers received by the Ombudsman that Icelandic children have paid close attention to news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on society. Substantial limitations on people’s right to gather were put in place on the 16th of March which extended to schools, with limitations lasting until the 4th of May when schools were able to operate in a conventional manner. The majority of schools had to rely on online teaching to some extent, some more than others.

Changes within the schools and leisure activities had an instrumental impact on children. They spent more time at home with their families as many of them only attended school in a limited fashion while many parents worked from home. In light of these wide-ranging consequences it is essential to gather information as to how the children experienced these changes in their lives in an attempt to make certain that when parallel measures need to be taken, they reflect the needs of children and are aimed at ensuring their rights.

The Ombudsman for Children has emphasized the importance of Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and children’s right to participation. According to Article 12, children’s views should be sought, heard, and considered in relation to all matters that concern them. It is important to provide children with the opportunity to be heard and to have their point of view considered when decisions are made concerning measures in relation to the pandemic. A letter was sent to every elementary school in Iceland in the beginning of March where the Ombudsman requested children to send in stories of their daily lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. No requirements were made concerning the construction of the answers; thus, children were encouraged to hand in pictures, written statements, or videos. Children had until the end of the school year in spring 2020 to respond. The Ombudsman received 116 answers from children across the country who handed in written statements, pictures, journals, and poems. There were also a few video clips with stories and plays. Probably the Ombudsman’s request did not reach all groups of children and the answers are in some respect dependent on the interest of certain teachers or schools. Nonetheless these narratives provide an important insight into the lives of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. A summary of the children’s answers was published in October 2020 on, www.barn.is, which is the webpage of the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland. This summary was also reported on the children’s news channel on the KrakkaRÚV where video clips from children were shown.

In their narratives the children emphasized that their lives were different now than before the pandemic and that many things were strange. The children generally expressed feeling content during this time. Among recurring topics was the impact the pandemic had on their families with more time spent together at home. The children reported that there was less tension in their homes in the morning and that they had the opportunity to catch up on sleep. They missed their friends and grandparents and looked forward to being able to see them and hug them like before. The children talked about there being more homework and they were generally pleased with the manner of remote teaching online. They were generally satisfied with the measures taken to diminish the pandemic although some were unhappy with them. These narratives provide an important insight into children’s views and their lives during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland.