Boldly: lockdowns and social distancing during the Covid-19 era may have left lasting marks on young children’s development. A large Scottish study tracking nearly 258,000 kids found that longer exposure to distancing measures between March 2020 and August 2021 was linked to greater developmental concerns, with increases approaching 7% in some groups.
The research indicates that toddlers faced a range of challenges, including speech and language delays, problems with problem-solving, shifts in general behavior, and slower progress in physical and emotional development.
Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, this study represents the most extensive examination to date in the UK or Europe of how lockdowns affected early childhood development.
Using data from Scotland’s routine child health reviews at two key milestones—13 to 15 months and 27 to 30 months—the team, led by the University of Edinburgh, tracked how the share of children with developmental concerns changed over time.
Health visitors identified children with developmental concerns from January 2019 through August 2023, covering more than 80% of young children in Scotland. The researchers used interrupted time-series analysis to detect shifts in development before versus after the pandemic.
Key findings show a clear uptick in developmental concerns, with up to a 6.6 percentage-point rise in the share of children with at least one developmental concern during the 72 weeks of lockdowns.
With the onset of Covid-19 restrictions in March 2020, rates of developmental concerns climbed weekly in both age groups. For 13– to 15-month-olds, concerns rose by 0.091 percentage points per week, while for 27– to 30-month-olds the increase was 0.076 percentage points per week.
After restrictions ended in August 2021, older toddlers showed some improvement, but younger toddlers did not experience the same rebound. For 27– to 30-month-olds, concerns fell by 0.067 percentage points per week, yet the 13– to 15-month-olds’ trend did not reverse.
Overall, even after lockdowns ended, the share of children with developmental concerns remained higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Dr. Iain Hardie from the University of Edinburgh commented that while Covid-19 public health measures effectively reduced the spread of infections, they also appear to be associated with increased early childhood development concerns.
This study was conducted in collaboration with Public Health Scotland as part of the broader Covid-19 Health Impact on Long-term Child Development in Scotland (CHILDS) program.
Professor Bonnie Auyeung, principal investigator and CHILDS originator, emphasized Scotland’s integrated healthcare system as a strength that enabled population-level insights. She hopes the findings will help shape how support is provided to children who grew up during the Covid-era as they continue to develop.
In related context, discussions around policy responses to the pandemic continue to provoke debate about balance between infection control and long-term developmental outcomes for children, with some observers arguing for more proactive early intervention in the wake of these findings.
