“Sexual experimentation, ecstasy, partying – that’s what makes young people so attractive,” says Stephan Grünewald from the Rheingold market research institute. Due to the corona pandemic, teenagers in particular could not experience any of this, warns the psychologist.
“The frustration that life has stopped,” says educational advisor Ulrich Ritzer-Sachs from the Federal Conference for Educational Advice. “Maintaining friendships does not work properly, new relationships also do not make, and new couple relationships certainly not. Celebrations after graduation, rituals for the transition to adulthood, plans for work and travel – everything failed.
Smart clothes, lots of people and dancing at the prom – a picture like from another time
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Much of it could not be made up, even if adults said that it would still be possible in the next year: “If I were 16 now, then I would be desperate.”
“We have to work like machines”
“No more time to think about yourself, to be happy. We have to work like machines,” writes a Berlin student. “Hardly any change, but sitting at the computer for six to 18 hours,” write others.
They vented their hearts on a school digital bulletin board. What was left in lockdown? Home schooling! The school decided to make the haunted statements anonymous to the press.
“4 to 5 coffees a day and in the evening not being able to sleep due to panic, fear and a racing heart.”
“Everyone is at the end and no one can support themselves from the other (…) Pupils are so stressed that they drink, smoke and take drugs more.”
“I won’t have time to go out and see anyone other than my parents anyway. (…) Every teacher thinks that fresh air is important for health – but what should we do?”
“Generation Corona-Kokon”
The pandemic could change the attitudes of young people towards life. It is well known in sociology that experiences in youth can shape a lifetime. The 1989 generation, for example, was shaped by the fall of the Berlin Wall and then experienced what felt like a techno party that lasted for years. That ended abruptly with the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The youth became more serious, more fearful, more withdrawn. The Rheingold Institute has coined terms that have become popular for this change, such as “Generation cool” (1989) or “Generation Biedermeier”.
Stress for many young people: Home schooling and contact restrictions in the pandemic
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And today? The Rheingold Institute has found a new collective name exclusively for DW, especially for young people between the ages of 16 and 18: “Generation Corona Cocoon”.
“A cocoon sounds cozy at first and was felt that way by many in the first lockdown,” explains Birgit Langebartels, psychologist at the Rheingold Institute. But the cocoon is forced, not chosen by oneself. In the second lockdown, the other side came to light: “the inescapably tight, sticky room to move.”
As a result, much of the typical youth development work – from caterpillar to butterfly, so to speak – could not be done: to break away from parents, to fall in love, to experience limits. “All of this has to be made up for, it cannot be skipped,” warns the psychologist: “In the medium term after the pandemic, we have to give young people the space they need to develop.”
Imprints for life
In the long term, a more realistic view of life may remain, says Langebartels. “It will be remembered that I wanted to go there, but I couldn’t, because I was held back, I was robbed of a year.” If it was previously said that anything is possible, if I only want it, it could now be: “I’ve been assigned a place in my life – certain things work, certain things don’t.”
The comparison with the phase before the pandemic, when the youth experienced a huge revaluation through the climate movement, should not be overlooked. “They were listened to – very little was said about them now during the crisis.”
Does the youth get sick?
“For a year now we have been eliminating almost everything that defines this formative phase of life,” writes former Federal Family Minister Kristina Schröder in the daily newspaper “Die Welt”. The youth are “left completely out in the rain”. And if the young people addressed the lost experiences, it would only mean they shouldn’t act like that. Schröder describes the youth as a “psychologically particularly vulnerable group” and calls for more political and social empathy.
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In the fourth quarter of 2020 there were a record 12.6 percent more requests for psychotherapy, according to the presentation of the Barmer doctor report 2021. With nine million insured persons, Barmer is one of the largest health insurers in Germany.
Educational advisor Ritzer-Sachs reported another problem from discussions with young people. Some felt that they were under constant observation – others would be left completely alone. “You sit in front of the screen with teachers as the supervisory authority. If you make the music loud during a break, a parent comes in and asks, ‘What are you doing there, aren’t you actually having a video conference?'”. On the other hand, those who already had a difficult time at home, couldn’t keep up, have no supportive parents, would be left alone: ”If no one looks at it for months, it will be difficult.”
A Survey by the University of Erfurt found: “23 percent of young people have already looked specifically for information and tips that could support them in maintaining or strengthening their mental health”. Help apps are particularly popular.
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