The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the 'very fabric of childhood', the UK inquiry has heard, as it began a four-week session focused on the impact on children and young people. Clair Dobbin KC, counsel to the inquiry, said some evidence from 18,000 stories and 400 interviews would be 'hard to listen to'.
Children lost parents and loved ones, some died from Covid, and others continue to suffer long-lasting consequences. Dobbin highlighted the curtailment of play, loss of rites of passage such as birthdays and proms, and damage to mental health and friendships. She also noted that some children suffered 'grievous' harm at home when schools, which normally offer protection, were closed.
Young people were exposed to violent pornography and other harms as their lives moved online, with many struggling to access lessons and spending hours gaming instead. One child described playing Animal Crossing for six months; another played Roblox for up to 19 hours a day. Dobbin quoted a child saying peers would answer remote lessons in bed while watching TV.
The inquiry heard that the Department for Education (DfE) had done zero contingency planning for school closures before lockdown in March 2020. Jonathan Slater, then permanent secretary, said plans assumed schools would remain open. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson described a 'discombobulating' 24-hour shift from keeping schools open on 16 March to closing them on 17 March, with no impact assessment commissioned.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson disputed Williamson's account, suggesting planning for closures had been ongoing. The inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, said the impact on children was 'severe and, for many, long-lasting', including missed education, social interaction, and loss of protection from abuse.
