Due to COVID-19 'Homebound Life'... 43% of Children Say "I Hate Not Meeting Friends"

Enjoying Various Hobbies with Plenty of Free Time ... Also Loves Sleeping In

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] "At first, wearing only a KF80 mask felt suffocating, but now I can run around even wearing a KF94," "I took a trip down memory lane looking at childhood photos at home, which was a joyful time"

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the daily classroom scenes of attending school have disappeared, and staying at home has become the norm. How are elementary school students adapting to the current situation where online classes, non-face-to-face, and contactless society have become familiar?

Seoul City disclosed on the 15th the survey results conducted from September 14 to 21 targeting 227 child reporters of the children's newspaper "My Friend Seoul," investigating the changes in daily life due to COVID-19.

According to the survey, 42.6% of child respondents cited "not being able to meet friends" as the worst part of staying at home. Additionally, 24.2% answered "gained weight due to lack of movement," 16.2% said "dislike online classes and feel their learning ability has declined," and 9.6% responded that they "get scolded a lot by parents." Other opinions included feeling frustrated due to irregular routines, inability to participate in various experiential activities, and not being able to go out.

During this time when meeting friends is difficult, Kim Hyori (6th grade, Yeon-eun Elementary) said, "Although writing letters is uncommon, exchanging letters with friends to get to know each other might be nice," and Jeong Yena (6th grade, Daejo Elementary) hinted, "Being introduced to a close friend's friend can make it easier to become friends."

Conversely, when asked about the good points of staying at home, 55.2% of children answered "being able to spend time leisurely on hobbies," and 22.4% said "being able to sleep in late." Answers stating reduced study stress and enjoying games, webtoons, etc., also accounted for 7.9% each.

In response to the open-ended question, "During staying at home, I became a master of ○○ and was able to do ○○," Jeong Ji-hyun (4th grade, Inheon Elementary) said, "I became a stretching master and can do forward rolls and side rolls," and Kim Min-guk (6th grade, Chodang Elementary) confidently said, "I became a computer master and can code. Because I use the computer often for online classes, I can even teach my younger sibling."

When asked what has changed before and after COVID-19 in an open-ended question, Lee Do-yeon (5th grade, Seokgye Elementary) answered, "My sleeping and waking times have changed." Lee Seon-jeong (6th grade, Dogok Elementary) said, "I got used to masks. At first, wearing only KF80 was suffocating, but now I can run around even wearing KF94," and Lee Yoon-ah (5th grade, Gowon Elementary) said, "I realized I should be grateful just to go outside without worry."

Also, as a personal method to overcome the fatigue caused by COVID-19, Yoo Ye-seo (6th grade, Seoul National University Attached Elementary) explained, "When I hold a brush pen and slowly write, I feel like I am drawing, and my mind becomes calm," and Lee Soo-bin (3rd grade, Songhwa Elementary) said, "I took a trip down memory lane looking at childhood photos. I hope the day comes when I can freely travel and take lots of pictures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.