The same leaders who championed strict COVID-19 policies—such as extended lockdowns, school closures, vaccine mandates, and social distancing—are now confronting the long-term fallout from those decisions.
The lingering impact on children has been especially concerning. For nearly two years, many were cut off from in-person education, athletics, and even basic social interaction. The effects have been significant—both academically and emotionally.
For example, it’s been widely reported that church attendance and youth sports participation, which were already declining before the pandemic, fell even more sharply during the lockdown period. In some cases, young people simply never returned. Public health officials at the time discouraged youth sports, citing concerns about virus transmission—decisions that, critics argue, promoted fear and isolation rather than resilience.
The consequences are now measurable. In late 2022, national test results showed a historic drop in reading and math scores among 9-year-olds. More recently, assessments revealed that eighth-grade students scored at an all-time low in U.S. history and experienced the first-ever decline in civics. These declines are being linked to prolonged school closures and disruptions.
Additionally, many students are still grappling with anxiety and mental health issues. Some younger children, for instance, remain nervous about removing masks in public, showing how deeply the pandemic era shaped their development.
These educational setbacks and mental health challenges have left schools across the country struggling to catch up—academically and emotionally. The cumulative effect has been described as a “triple threat” of poor academic performance, declining mental wellness, and widening learning gaps.
As these realities come into sharper focus, it’s clear that those who supported the most restrictive measures during the pandemic must also take responsibility for the long-term consequences those choices created.
