Read the full article by Brianna Blanchard on the EarthLab website. Start reading below…
By Brianna Blanchard – Storytelling for Social Change Intern, Summer 2024
“I was a sophomore in high school when the 2020 lockdown happened. Now that I am almost done with my junior year at the University of Washington, I’ve had lots of time to reflect on what the last five years have taught me about isolation, connection, and the importance of community.
I know my story is one of many: according to Census data, there were 73.1 million children under the age of 18 in the US in 2020. So many of us were hit hard both academically and emotionally by the fact that our once lively classrooms and community spaces were replaced by the quiet, distant world of virtual learning.
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about being a teenager during that time was that our isolation felt universal, but the toll that loneliness took on our own cognitive development was something that we all experienced differently.
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