If you had a preschooler during the COVID-19 lockdowns, you may have noticed changes in how they interacted with others. A new study from the University of California - Merced confirms that the pandemic significantly affected young children's social and cognitive development, especially their ability to understand others' perspectives.
This skill, known as false-belief understanding, helps children recognize that others can have different or even incorrect beliefs—a key part of social interactions, problem-solving, and learning. The research found that children who were 3½ to 5½ years old during lockdowns showed a noticeable decline in this ability. And for families from lower-income backgrounds, the impact was even greater. Before the pandemic, about 80% of 5-year-olds from higher-income families passed tests measuring this skill, but among children from lower-income backgrounds post-pandemic, only 51% did.
This finding highlights how social isolation during lockdowns may have hindered essential learning opportunities, especially for children with fewer resources at home. While this might be concerning, it also means that as parents, we can help support our children’s social development now by encouraging play, conversation, and perspective-taking activities to help them regain lost skills. The pandemic was tough on all of us, but with awareness and effort, we can help our kids catch up and thrive.
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