Youth Sport Trust is a children’s charity that works to ensure that every child enjoys the life-changing benefits that come from play and sport. We do this by harnessing the power of sport, physical activity and PE to increase young people’s life chances through improved wellbeing, healthier lifestyles and greater attainment. Our work reaches as many as 20,000 schools across the UK and we operate on a local, national and global level to build a brighter future for young people.

This paper summarises key evidence relating to the impact of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions on children and young people. With an ever-changing landscape, and a narrow window for data capture, this document is a rapid review of information, condensing the latest quantitative evidence from a range of external sources. Additionally, it references qualitative and low-sample
research, aiming to build a rounded picture. This paper covers information published up to 6 July 2020 and is an update to an earlier paper with the same title (amended as new evidence is published).

The paper covers the following themes:
1. Young people’s mental health & concerns
2. Physical activity during lockdown
3. What’s helped during lockdown
4. The challenges of home learning
5. Returning to school
6. Positives from the COVID experience
7. What next?