Covid-19 lockdown in itself constitutes a comprehensive threat and challenge to the normal growth and development of children and young people. Lockdown has multiple and on many levels negative influences on children and young people's physical, mental and social well-being. It is crucial that we as caring adults (parents, teachers, caregivers, etc.) who come into contact with children and young people during lockdown make an effort to counteract the negative influences from lockdown on children and young people, especially in terms of inactivity, boredom, isolation , loneliness, conflicts, anxiety and depression.
All children deserve a safe and healthy upbringing and development, where important prerequisites are good physical, mental and social well-being. Furthermore, it is important that many relationships are transferred from childhood to adulthood - this also applies to daily habits. Daily habits are of great importance for growth and development, and therefore it is important to understand and benefit from the fact that in childhood there is an important window to put in place and ensure healthy growth and development in the future. A child spends 200 days a year in school, and thus the school is an ideal place to invest to ensure the well-being of children. "Protecting the interests of the child" is the title of Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Thus, the Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes that society is obliged to ensure the best interests of the child - the best interests of the child. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1989 to ensure the special protection children need.
The physical health and well-being of children and young people includes growth and development. Childhood is a period of great physiological development and biological maturation. During this period, the full height is reached, the bone mass accumulates, the body composition changes and the child becomes sexually mature. Children's growth is measured as height and weight and entered in growth curves. The growth curves of children and young people should follow a smooth pattern that is in line with the development according to relevant reference values in the growth curves. In addition, the child develops similarly both psychologically and socially with great importance for mental health which is of crucial importance for a normal development of personality, identity, self-esteem and quality of life. Physical, mental and social well-being are prerequisites for each other and not just present or not independent of each other.