As COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, and schools have completely reintegrated to in-person education, we can look back and laugh at the piles of toilet paper stashed in the basement or hours behind a computer during virtual learning. However, the truth is, COVID’s imprint on our lives is still very much present. COVID’s lingering effect on students’ lives is hurting their academic performance and dedication to school. COVID has damaged the well-being of students in numerous ways, and it is essential that schools support these students by providing mental health counseling and programs.

There is no denying that students struggled with mental health pre-COVID. School is a constant stressor that overwhelms kids and hurts their confidence.

“For university students, COVID-19 stress creates perfect conditions for mental health crises” explains that even before lockdown, “the spring of 2019 showed that over 50 per cent of students felt so depressed that it was difficult to function, almost 70 per cent felt overwhelming anxiety and about 16 per cent had seriously considered suicide in the preceding 12 months” (Hellemans et. al).

COVID has worsened this mental health crisis and damaged students’ well-being even more. Each person’s struggle may be different from their peers, but nonetheless, no students survived COVID untouched. Leaving these conditions unattended can strengthen their effect on students and cause even more damage.

“Children Need More Mental Health Support” clearly articulates that “post-pandemic, 59 per cent of parents report at least one child in their care has suffered from a deterioration in their mental health because of the pandemic, [and] many parents report fear and anxiety among their children post-COVID, along with depression and feelings of isolation lingering after the pandemic” (Gregersen).

Most of these illnesses sprouted from social isolation during virtual learning.

Virtual learning dramatically decreased the amount of opportunities available to interact and socialize with others. This sense of isolation was linked to increased feelings of loneliness and depression (Hellemans et. al).

School is supposed to be a place to build character education and strengthen relationships and bonds between students, but lockdown did quite the opposite, proving how important it is for students to socialize in order to positively boost their mental health. Schools must reverse this trend in students and provide the services necessary for reducing the damage done by virtual learning and isolation.

Another mental health disorder that made an appearance after COVID was anxiety, which is closely linked to school refusal, a behavior that can be seen in students that are scared to go to school.

In “Students Are Increasingly Refusing to Go to School. It’s Becoming a Mental Health Crisis,” “Krystina Dawson, a school psychologist and mental health supervisor for Trumbull Public School District in Connecticut [said:] ‘We saw a larger shift in kids who were on the cusp before and then after COVID started refusing completely. [. . .] Once the pandemic hit and we introduced remote learning, kids got comfortable in their homes’” (Rodriguez 28).

While some students saw virtual learning as a way to relax at home, others grew too comfortable, resenting the idea of in-person school, which combined with plummeting mental health, is heavily detrimental to their academic performance.

Juggling school and mental illnesses like depression is no easy task.  Some students struggling to cope turned to social media, drugs, or alcohol, distracting them from school and enhancing their battle against mental health disorders (Hellemans et. al).

Moreover, in the article, Your Kid Has a B Average in School. Do You Know What That Really Means?, a study compared 2019 to 2022 and explained that in 2022, there were more students that struggled in “earning B averages or better in their core classes” (Rosenberg 8).

Social isolation, which prompted the development of mental health disorders like depression or behaviors like school avoidance, is linked to declining academic performances, which is why it is essential that students are provided with mental health support to stunt this trend.

The dramatic decline in students’ mental health, attributed to confinement during virtual learning, must be dealt with in order to preserve their academic performance and mental health. This must be done through reassuring, supportive, and engaging mental health counseling for all students. The stigma surrounding mental health must be eliminated, and it is critical that the problem is addressed face-to-face in order to save the well-being of this rising generation.