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Idurre Lazcano
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Lindsay Dong
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Lazcano, I.; Doistua, J.; Madariaga, A. Effects of COVID-19 on Leisure among Youth. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/24142 (accessed on 03 July 2024).
Lazcano I, Doistua J, Madariaga A. Effects of COVID-19 on Leisure among Youth. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/24142. Accessed July 03, 2024.
Lazcano, Idurre, Joseba Doistua, Aurora Madariaga. "Effects of COVID-19 on Leisure among Youth" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/24142 (accessed July 03, 2024).
Lazcano, I., Doistua, J., & Madariaga, A. (2022, June 17). Effects of COVID-19 on Leisure among Youth. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/24142
Lazcano, Idurre, et al. "Effects of COVID-19 on Leisure among Youth." Encyclopedia. Web. 17 June, 2022.
Effects of COVID-19 on Leisure among Youth
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This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su14073993

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the lives of millions, including young people, who are in a vital stage during which leisure has had a preponderant role in their lifestyles, characterized by the search for experiences outside the family environment and forms of leisure dependent on friendships as a source for well-being (physical, cognitive, social, and emotional). 

leisure youth COVID-19 transformations

1. Leisure and Youth Development

In recent decades, leisure has become a priority in the lives of young people [1] (p. 227). Leisure is probably the social institution most closely associated with the world of youth.
In the field of youth development, leisure is recognized as a phenomenon that provides opportunities for self-realization and is defined as specific activities, (free) environments or time—such as social activities or sports—or specific cognitions, emotions, or experiences (for example, flow) that provide such opportunities [2]. Developmental science defines leisure as what young people do during their free time, which in turn considerably impacts their development [3]. However, not all leisure is developmental. Structured leisure (for example, monitored programs) is more effective in promoting youth development than unstructured leisure (for example, going out with friends), as it supposes a greater challenge, autonomy, and initiative [4]. Thus, it is widely recognized that leisure is a unique developmental context that offers, during adolescence and youth, an environment with opportunities to express oneself, demonstrate competencies, and connect with others [5]. These are the most crucial and sensitive stages towards maturity; it is not only a rapid period of physical changes but also an important stage in personal, cognitive, and social development [6] (p. 289). During such times, people explore their potential, play various social roles, forms of personal identity, accept and reject habits, values and beliefs, socializing and building a lifestyle that, to a greater or lesser extent, they will adopt for the rest of their lives [7][8][9].
Numerous investigations have highlighted the value of leisure for the young community [10][11][12]. These are evaluated as beneficial due to the opportunities for socialization and interaction among peers. Namely, the contexts of leisure offer an opportunity for experimentation based on various social roles, the identification of individual preferences, the exchange of experiences, the collaborative response to various situations, and the development of feelings of friendship [13]. This period of life is particularly appropriate for discovering new interests and affirming personal values and other social ideals [14]. Caldwel and Smith [15] suggest that participating in leisure activities helps young people develop skills and their autonomy, based on positive social interactions. Positive feelings, as well as personal control of actions, encourage the expansion of an individual’s personality.

2. Times of the Pandemic: Effects and Transformations of Leisure in Young People

The COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented global event, has caused major disruptions in the lives of millions of people. As the population around the world has adjusted to the situation, young people have been at the center of much news and criticism. Millions of young people had to stay at home due to the closure of schools and universities, and adults were forced to consider alternative structures to support the needs of young people. Physical distancing and other restrictions imposed by national and local governments around the world to contain the spread of the virus have almost certainly had a significant impact on young people and adolescents [16][17], as various studies published since March 2020 have shown, since they are more sensitive to interaction with their peers and social stimuli than adults, and indirectly due to increased stress in many families [18]. For youth, leisure is an essential asset and its interruption during the pandemic could have a great impact on their development.
Ultimately, the pandemic is a unique and important historical event, which has immediate and lasting effects on the ecological systems of all who experience it. Although digital technologies have partially compensated for limitations in social relationships, physical distancing may have had a disproportionate effect in an age group for whom interaction with peers is a vital means of development [19]. In addition, confinement has modified habits and routines, with a possible medium and long-term impact on the lifestyle and well-being of young people [20][21][22], which in turn seems to have an impact on their mental health [23]. According to several experts, these psychological problems will increase worldwide as a consequence of the pandemic [24][25]; some have even affirmed that the impact caused by COVID-19 on psychological health will be as significant as its impact on physical health, especially in vulnerable populations [26][27].
During this time, studies have been published in relation to changes in leisure and physical activity during confinement and its relationship with changes in mental and physical health, finding that people associate the increase in sedentary behaviors during leisure with worse physical health, mental health, and vitality. Other studies have shown that numerous young people decided to isolate themselves completely during confinement, which raised concerns about their mental health [28]. Consequently, ensuring sufficient levels of physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviors are vital in helping people cope with the stress caused by the pandemic, which also helps to improve their perception of their own health [29].
During the pandemic, the ecological systems of young people have been in a state of turmoil, with changes in routines and habits associated with daily life, interruptions in the flow of information and communication patterns between environments, and intense and abrupt changes in rules and regulations [30]. Leisure choices made in stressful circumstances can reveal a great deal about coping strategies and ways of reacting to radical change and self-actualization [31][32][33]. In addition, the pandemic has paradoxically affected leisure for young people. Opportunities for outdoor and face-to-face leisure have been restricted, despite the attempt to adapt many after-school programs to the digital environment, and yet such restrictions may have granted young people more free time than ever [28].
Such “forced leisure”, a concept that refers to situations in which free time is gained due to the absence of work opportunities and not to freedom of choice [28], could help explain the role of leisure both to contain stressful situations [32][34] as well as to give meaning and purpose to periods of social deprivation and anxiety [35][36]. In fact, confinement and social distancing have created a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, it has imposed limits on freedom, and on the other, it has offered more time for leisure.
The pandemic has raised the question of how to maintain developmental forms of leisure for youth in times of crisis. The main issue during the first phase of the pandemic, during confinement, was that for many young people, all the new free time on their hands was transformed into leisure time [37], which blurs its meaning in developmental science. Furthermore, the distinction between unstructured and structured leisure is especially important at the present time, since the increase in available leisure time for young people has been met with a simultaneous decrease in their ability to participate in structured and community leisure [37][38]. Various studies [23][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] have already shown that young people activated various coping strategies in response to the situation, with potentially significant effects on their lifestyles and well-being.
A clear and evident impact can be seen in how children and young people practiced less physical activity and spent less time outdoors and more time performing sedentary activities (such as leisure time in front of screens). In addition, they slept more during confinement. Several strategies made it possible to mitigate the effects of confinement on the movement and play of children and young people. Additionally, the adoption of new hobbies also helped moderate the effects of COVID-19 [39]. However, along the same lines, other research has shown that the majority of adolescents did not use the internet to play online, as was expected during the period of confinement; on the contrary, young people used the internet to learn, read, and talk to other people [40].
Some studies have focused on collecting data on outdoor leisure patterns during, before, and after COVID-19. One of their findings was the reduction in the number of days that people engaged in outdoor leisure activities, determined by the frequency of previous practice and the size of the living quarters. This reduction was conditioned by external factors, that is, by the recommendations on social distancing, the closure of recreational areas, and internal ones, such as not being exposed to COVID-19 [41]. Likewise, people in general and youth especially have adapted to the new context by varying the types of leisure practice. Young people are able to perceive and identify how COVID-19 has affected their lifestyles during confinement regarding their biological needs (nutrition, hygiene), duties (study, work), and free time (sports and entertainment). Thus, they have paid more attention to hygiene, having more time to watch movies, read books, and take care of their pets during confinement [42], and reducing their participation in activities related to travel and social contact, and in turn, favor activities in nature and the outdoors [43]. Many young people have also preferred passive leisure activities, happy to be able to enjoy online activities for longer during the first weeks of confinement [44]. However, such adaptations and transformations of lifestyles are perceived by most people as transitory, while awaiting to resume their activities when the epidemiological situation has improved [23][45].

References

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Subjects: Sociology
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Idurre Lazcano
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Joseba Doistua
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Aurora Madariaga
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Entry Collection: COVID-19
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Update Date: 20 Jun 2022
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