How do young people feel about the pandemic — and how the adult world has handled it

Papa Linc

3 years ago

How do young people feel about the pandemic — and how the adult world has handled it

As the United States has grappled with a deadly pandemic of historic proportions, young people have been watching.

Many were old enough to understand its challenges — yet too young to be making key decisions themselves. But they felt Covid-19’s impacts nevertheless as the country weighed central debates: virtual learning or in-person? Masks or no masks? Vaccination mandates or not?

And with another school year underway, young people are once again at the center of much of the conversation. While health experts promote school mask policies and an increase in vaccination rates to protect students who gather in classrooms, some governors have pushed back.

Many young people told CNN they felt helpless while others worried about their mental health. “This pandemic has brought me self-reflection and analysis, but it also was a test on the world and this country, and I fear we are failing,” said Ella Stromberg, a 17-year-old from Vancouver, Washington.

Young Americans may not have autonomy over how they attend school, if their families get vaccinated or the policies elected officials implement, but they are observing the victories and pitfalls of those who do.

During the recent Covid-19 surge leading into the school year, CNN asked Americans 16 and over what they’ve taken away from the pandemic thus far. Here’s what they had to say.

Ella’s pandemic scrapbook

We asked our respondents to send in some pictures that they felt best described their pandemic experience. Ella Stromberg, a high school student from Washington state, said the pandemic left her struggling to still be a teenager in the isolation and divide.

Stromberg joined her school’s cross country team for the first time once in-person sports began — she says she was eager to participate, no matter what sport it was.