Commissioned by the Anne Frank House, the Verwey-Jonker Institute conducted a study on the impact of coronamate rules on young people's behaviour and well-being. Through extensive literature research and interviews with teachers, youth workers and schoolchildren, the study looked at what problematic changes had occurred and how these changes continued to develop after the measures were ended. The research mainly focused on changes related to the teaching of democracy and the rule of law.
Three main issues emerge from the study:
1. The COVID-19 lockdowns had a negative impact on the socio-emotional development, social skills, and empathy of (some) young people. Additionally, their interaction with social media and the internet changed significantly. During the pandemic, young people spent more time online searching for answers to personal issues and questions about their identity. As a result, some became increasingly exposed to radical and undemocratic content. These trends differ from previous youth cohorts, but rather than representing entirely new developments, they reflect an acceleration of existing trends. The lockdown intensified pre-existing patterns – particularly in areas such as social media use and increasing individualisation – rather than being the root of these issues.
2. Many of the negative effects of the lockdown appear to have subsided. Typical consequences of the COVID-19 measures, such as behavioural problems, seem to be recovering. However, reduced emotional empathy and perspective-taking, declining trust in democracy and the rule of law, and the impact of social media use – particularly the undermining effects of disinformation and the emergence of parallel realities – remain ongoing concerns. The increasing difficulty of meaningful discussions, as a result of divergent sources of ‘truth’, continues to pose a significant challenge.
3. The restoration of empathy is essential for both the education on democracy and the rule of law, as well as for fostering long-term engagement with these concepts. The research highlights that different forms of empathy – including the ability to take another’s perspective, share in others’ emotions, and actively listen – are crucial for the functioning of democracy and the rule of law. A decline in empathy can threaten democratic engagement and participation. During the pandemic, young people’s cognitive and emotional empathy suffered, in part because they had fewer opportunities to encounter different perspectives or engage emotionally with others. Moreover, cognitive and emotional empathy among young people is also under pressure due to increased exposure to disinformation, influencers, and violent video games. While these factors were heightened during the pandemic, they are also part of a longer-term trend linked to changes in internet and social media usage.