We’re all in this together… right? Adolescents’ loneliness trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic

Presenter: Gerine Lodder, Tilburg University, the Netherlands

In this presentation, I will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the PRIMS project (i.e., peer relationships in the transition from primary to secondary school) and how we adapted our longitudinal data collection to the new circumstances. Furthermore, I will present preliminary findings of our study on Dutch adolescents’ loneliness trajectories from the end of primary school, during the school closure and after the transition to secondary school. We will investigate whether adolescents’ peer status affects their feelings of loneliness during this period.

The new normal: Adolescent social media use and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Presenter: Annie Maheux, University of Delaware, United States of America

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected adolescents’ interactions with peers in numerous ways, including restricting their interactions to primarily online contexts. This talk examines changes in American adolescents’ social media use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of social media in adolescents’ social and emotional well-being during the pandemic.

Children’s peer relations in Israel and COVID-19

Presenters: Adar Ben-Eliyahu¹ & Ruth Sharabany¹²

¹University of Haifa; ²Academic College of Tel Aviv Jaffa, Israel

COVID-19 pandemic has sent Israel’s children to social distancing, distance learning and periods of lockdown. Most schools switched to learning via online programs, leading to dramatic changes in social interactions. We discuss how peer interactions have been affected by the social isolation forced upon us due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel.

Small group discussion on the impact of COVID-19 around the world.

Presenter: Dorothy Espelage, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States

During the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents have reported both positive and negative effects on their friendships and romantic relations as a result of stay at home orders and lockdowns. Some have indicated that their close friendships have become closer, but others have found it more challenging to maintain these relationships. There is some suggestion that adolescents’ ability to maintain connections to others depends on how their parents are handling the pandemic. These experiences are likely to impact peer relations for the next decade. In this talk, the limited research on peer relations during the pandemic will be summarized and guidance for future research will be discussed.