Teenagers are “struggling in big numbers” after COVID, a leading child psychotherapist has warned.

Dr Colman Noctor is warning that more and more teenagers are feeling socially isolated and he believes the pandemic is to blame.

“A lot of parents are concerned about their children as well,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“While some children have recalibrated post-pandemic brilliantly, there are still some who are struggling and I think they’re struggling in big numbers.”

Leaving Certificate

Dr Noctor said today’s 17 and 18-years-old are feeling extra pressure ahead of the Leaving Cert because their Junior Cert exams were cancelled during the pandemic.

“A lot of the Leaving Cert students are very worried because they’ve never sat an exam before,” he said. 

“It’s not that they don’t feel academically prepared for it or intellectually, it’s that they missed out on the experience of sitting a State exam. 

“So, there’s a high level of anxiety around that.” 

Bandon, West Cork, Ireland. 8th June, 2022. Credit: AG News/Alamy Live News

Even if they are not sitting State examinations this year, Dr Noctor said the impact of COVID-19 on school students still lingers on. 

“A lot of the young people I’m talking about were maybe in fifth and sixth class at the start of the pandemic,” he said. 

“[Before COVID they were doing] playdates and sleepovers; so, their parents organised their social world a lot. 

“Now they’re in second and third year and it’s not cool for your parents to say, ‘Can Paul go over to Tom’s house on Saturday?’

“The organisation of their own social calendar is very much of their own making and I think they struggle with that - not because they don’t have an appetite to do it - but because they just don’t know how.”  

Summer camps

Dr Noctor believes summer camps could be a solution, with teenagers given space to develop at arms’ length from adult supervision. 

“For these teens, it’s about giving them an opportunity,” he said. 

“For me, adults are too involved in children’s lives as it is. 

“So, we need to step back but I use the analogy of teaching a child to ride a bike; you have to be there at the start to get them off and then you have to let go. 

“I would love to see a space for them over the summer where… young people could come together and work on identity and meaning and problem solving and all that sort of stuff.” 

The HSE advises anyone struggling with loneliness to “get busy”; they suggest volunteering or pursuing a hobby.

Main image: A teenage girl wearing headphones sitting alone near the sea. Picture by: Alamy.com