Children and young people's perspectives on and experiences of COVID‐19 in global contexts

Abstract

This special issue was proposed by Children & Society editors specifically for the journal's strategic aims to enhance its internationalisation; and to embrace children's perspectives and experiences in producing knowledge about childhoods in challenging times and underrepresented contexts (Berriman et al., 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic is such an ongoing challenge and has profoundly affected the daily lives of children around the globe (Cowie & Myers, 2021). Lockdowns, social distancing, and quarantine increase children's anxiety and stress and reduce access to vital family members, friends, and care services. The COVID-19 pandemic re-sets the boundaries and spaces of formal education, by bringing it directly into homes across the globe and shifting the family involvement in children's education and care. In addition to social, developmental and mental health issues caused to children due to lockdowns and constraints with learning (Cowie & Myers, 2021), there is a high proportion of children worldwide who live in difficult circumstances and experience issues such as poverty, lack of food, water, sanitation or hygiene, domestic violence and abuse, special needs, conflicts and those who are refugees and migrants (UNICEF, 2020). They may have already been in those disadvantaged situations, and the COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately has worsened the circumstances for them.During the time of the pandemic, home has become a more visible quasi-public space through digital technologies for some children, but has also further marginalised children living in digitally impoverished contexts (Iyer et al., 2020). Digital contact in the hybridisation of public and private spaces raises concerns over child protection and safety for many children (Iyer et al., 2020). Nevertheless, little is known about how space (physical and digital) has been experienced by children who were confined to their homes. Even less visible in scholarship concerning children and young people's experiences of and perspectives on COVID-19 are those from children living in contexts other than mainstream notions of 'home' and from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.Set against this context, this special issue examines the challenges that have faced children and their families across a range of different cultural and geographical contexts. These include countries from six continents of the world, namely: Europe