Colman Noctor: Worries of the world are on our children's minds — but change is possible

Many of the teachers I speak to are asking for support to manage young people's acute anxiety in the classroom, and others have questions about how they can help their students develop more resilience. School refusal and anxiety-related absences are also presenting in considerable numbers since the full return of primary schools, with exam stress and educational disengagement the most common issues in secondary schools.

In my role as a third level lecturer, there is a noticeable increase in students who are seeking extenuating circumstances or extensions for their academic submissions, with mental health struggles being the most common reason for these requests. Despite the lifting of most pandemic restrictions, a decrease in these issues is not yet apparent, suggesting that returning to the old normal presents its own difficulties.

Braced for the next disaster 

This is not surprising when we consider the turmoil of the last two years. The global pandemic, climate crisis and international conflict in Ukraine have meant that children and young people are starting to believe that these ‘once in a century’ events are just par for the course. Many are ‘braced for the next disaster’, which has a significant impact on their mental health and fears about the future.

Many young people report feeling ill-equipped to manage the challenges they now face. Not only are there the global issues of the pandemic and international conflict to negotiate, but local issues also seem to be taking their toll on their wellbeing.

The YSI research found that 40% of those surveyed reported being worried about Ireland’s housing crisis, with 30% citing ‘financial security’ as a significant source of worry. A further 79% were seriously worried about the ‘unaffordable cost of living’, suggesting that generation Z is not enjoying the adolescent benefits of ‘living in the here and now’, but instead, these young people are becoming concerned with what their future holds. The combination of managing these complex challenges following a disrupted period of development is a recipe for struggle.

When asked about the impact of Covid-19, 38% of the young people in the survey reported how it negatively impacted their social development, with a further 27% reporting an increase in loneliness.

Another striking finding was that 78% were concerned about the planet and our sustainability. This finding is similar to a global study conducted by Bath University in 2021, which found that two-thirds of the young people interviewed felt sad, anxious and afraid of climate change, with 56% believing ‘humanity is doomed’.

This suggests that young people are significantly affected by the potential impact of climate change on the planet and have real fears about the impact it will have over their lifetime. They reported how the environment is becoming more and more a priority as they look for sustainable lifestyle options. Although it is disturbing to see such a young population being burdened by such ‘big-ticket issues’, it is reassuring that they are taking on responsibility, being the ‘agents of change’ our planet needs. It will be interesting to see if these worldviews impact future political dominance and socio-cultural ideologies in the coming decades.

Offering hope and direction 

Finding ways to offer reassurance on the future of the planet is difficult. Especially as many young people feel the climate crisis is ‘personal’ and feel abandoned and betrayed by governments and older generations. But there is room for adults to provide hope and direction to young people about the future of their planet. Despite the challenge being seemingly insurmountable, we are repeatedly told that small changes from significant numbers of people will make a difference. This is the message we need to be giving to young people. The message that ‘change is possible’. When young people are anxious, they tend to be consumed by the aspects of life that they cannot impact or change, but a far more helpful focus needs to be on the elements of our lives we ‘can’ change.

Older generations will remember how social change was achieved in their lifetime and they need to encourage this spirit in younger people. If young people feel they can instigate change locally, it will provide them with the impetus to drive change globally. And if adults show they are listening, this may change the narrative from blame and dismissal to cohesive shared goals.

On a more positive note, substance misuse and cyberbullying issues saw lower scores than a comparable YSI study carried out three years ago. The young people surveyed reported that their concerns over drug and alcohol issues dropped from 48% in 2019 to 33% in 2021, while cyberbullying concerns dropped by 50% in the same period.

Our young people have faced considerable challenges throughout the pandemic and are now encountering a further period of uncertainty and difficulty. In a time when they should only be burdened with issues of where to socialise, who to date and how to engage in the most the fun aspects of young adulthood, they are coming out of a period of isolation into a world where the cost of living has never been higher, the chances of owning their own home have never been less likely, and a climate crisis looms large. 

The devastating impact of climate change is a real and pressing concern. But having worked with young people for two decades, I hold out considerable hope that they will be OK. 

Young people are by their nature curious problem solvers and, given the right encouragement, they often surprise us. I remain hopeful that they will rise to these challenges, too. And, if we listen to what they have to say, they may well come up with some novel ideas about how we can do things better.

• Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist