allow children to socialise

allow children to have small bubbles of their own e.g. 3 or 4 friends and allow them outside to mix. Children on their own are having so little social interaction which is so important to them, if they are outside on bikes then the risks of transmission are small but the benefits to their mental health are clear. not all have siblings to mix with or siblings close in age - children need to interact with their peers

Why the contribution is important

children's mental health and physical health given schools are likely to be off for at least 5 months

by tom26 on May 05, 2020 at 01:04PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 3.9
Based on: 13 votes

Comments

  • Posted by PeachesHumph May 05, 2020 at 13:18

    Kids forget to practise social distancing and hand hygiene, this is a sure way to pass the virus on. Ok to say keep to 3 close friends, what happens if they meet another group when out, they stop to chat, play a game and all of a sudden it’s not 4 households at risk but 8 and so on. There are so many ways to stay in contact with friends online these days.

  • Posted by GavinFalconer May 05, 2020 at 13:20

    In my view, it is absolutely essential we find a way to make this happen.

    There is no historical precedent on this scale for children not being able to play together. I worry about the long term effects this will have on social development etc.

    I dont have an answer as to how - no doubt it will introduce risk. But children are our most vulnerable members of society and their welfare and development should be front and centre of decision making.

  • Posted by alexbb721 May 05, 2020 at 13:23

    An issue with allowing children outside of a household to socialise in groups of say 3 or 4, would, especially in denser areas in the country, could possibly create some more problems.
    Many children have been asymptomatic and so show no obvious signs of having the virus. This poses an issue of passing it to the other 3 or so children without any clue of doing so. While this may not effect the children themselves directly, it would pass the virus through households and possibly to the elderly. Another problem is that it may not be the same children socialising together every day. While the smaller group of people will make it less likely for the virus to be passed within one another, it would still pose an issue of not recognising there is an issue. This could happen at a bigger rate if schools were opened too quickly.

  • Posted by sy278 May 05, 2020 at 14:55

    There are ways this could happen, and yes I think this needs to happen in some fashion - it is critical for their mental health.

    The easter holidays had a horrific toll on my 7yr olds mental state.

  • Posted by Ossian May 05, 2020 at 16:24

    I really worry about only children from single parent households. I was (am?) one and I really think it would have broken me not seeing another child for weeks. We are causing so many issues for the future.
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