Children’s experience of the first lockdown in France

Abstract

During the first COVID-19 lockdown in France in the spring of 2020, schools were closed and all activities outside the  home were suspended. Primary school children who found themselves confined to their homes adapted quite well  to the change. They continued with their schoolwork and took advantage of their freedom to spend more time on daily activities. But for parents with low socio-economic status, the lockdown placed strain on family relationships, increased the children’s screen time, disrupted their sleep and their psychological well-being, and made schoolwork more problematic. For children and adults alike, the lockdown produced an increase in inequalities likely to worsen over the medium term.