Workshop Title: Understanding and accepting the “New Normal” in Children and Adolescents

AIM: 1. To revisit “normalcy” as we understood. 2. To understand digital natives and their norms. 3. To explore the impact of the pandemic on the above. OUTLINE: The pandemic was a challenging time for everyone which had an effect on everyday life of multiple individuals. However, the trajectory of the psychological, social and cultural development of the developing minds took a completely different turn. The additional screen use was somewhat inevitable because everything right from personal life to education turned online but on the same hand the prevalence of problematic screentime including social media and gaming increased exponentially. (1) Youth with anxiety, depression, psychotic illness and neurodevelopmental disorders were especially vulnerable to worsening or re-emergence of their symptoms in the times of changing uncertainties. (2) Along with contact restrictions and isolation, there was increased report of parental mental illness, domestic violence and child maltreatment which had a direct effect on the development of the children’s minds. (3) Although there is lack of significant evidence, increased incidence of cases of gender dysphoria and confused sexuality has been noticed due to decreased social exploration and increased exposure to online content in this regard. There are a myriad of changes which has happened in the past two decades because of advent of technology which are both positive and negative, but this Pandemic has amplified both. This workshop will consist of presentations, oral discussions and group activities to understand these changing trends in the development of young minds during the pandemic. REFERENCES: 1. Paschke, Kerstin, Maria Isabella Austermann, Kathrin Simon-Kutscher, and Rainer Thomasius. “Adolescent gaming and social media usage before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Sucht (2021). 2. Becker, Stephen P., and Alice M. Gregory. “Editorial Perspective: Perils and promise for child and adolescent sleep and associated psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic.” (2020): 757-759. 3. Fegert, Jörg M., Benedetto Vitiello, Paul L. Plener, and Vera Clemens. “Challenges and burden of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for child and adolescent mental health: a narrative review to highlight clinical and research needs in the acute phase and the long return to normality.” Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health 14 (2020): 1-11.