4.9 Economic and work challenges Usually he is involved in a lot of activities outside of home such as face-to-face counselling, group therapy with headspace and basketball. But both basketball and face-to-face counselling have been cancelled because of the virus, and he is worried he has no safe space. ‘Marcus’, aged 17, told Kids Helpline that his upcoming appointment with his face-to-face psychologist has been moved to telehealth due to the current COVID-19 crisis. He said he felt nervous about this because he knows that he ‘zones out’ when he is overwhelmed and relies on eye-contact to bring him out of it. ‘Sam’, aged 18, told Kids Helpline that she noticed her hair has started to fall out, and this is having an impact on her depression and poor body-image. She knows she should see a doctor but is too scared to leave the house because of the virus. She did not know what to do. ‘Juliet’, aged 21, rang Kids Helpline to say that she is the main carer for herself and her parents and younger siblings, who either have mental health issues or diagnosed disabilities. Although they are linked to the NDIS, she can’t get any respite care until after COVID-19 restrictions are eased. She is exhausted, and worried about her own mental health having suffered from anxiety and depression for years. ‘Elsie’, aged 24, told Kids Helpline that she has been finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from nightmares, and was feeling very alone. She said that her support network has crumbled since coronavirus, as her doctor’s clinic disbanded, and all her appointments were cancelled. Now they are all booked out with the panic around the coronavirus. This has caused her to spiral and feel she can’t get back in to see her regular doctor until it could be ‘too late’. She was hoping to see him before an upcoming court case. Many children and young people spoke about the impacts of COVID-19 on family income and employment. As social distancing and restrictions on businesses were imposed from the end of March onwards, many people lost employment or had their hours reduced. For others, their way of working was changed, with some working from home, and others experiencing increased hours or stress associated with frontline work. These issues were primarily raised by young people of working age. (a) Economic impacts • Younger children spoke about a parent losing their job due to COVID-19 and the restrictions, and worried about the economic impact on their family. • Older children and young adults raised concerns about losing their own jobs, or having their hours or shifts reduced. They also worried that they would not be able to find another job in the future. • Young people spoke about the psychological impacts of losing a job or being unable to find a job, including feelings of worthlessness, anxiety and sadness. • Some young people had been forced to move back home due to financial concerns or were worried that they would have to do so. Some expressed fears that they may not be able to pay their bills and may become homeless. The economic impacts of COVID-19 were raised by 8% (213) of children and young people. Young adults aged 18-25 were much more likely to raise economic impacts of COVID-19 than those under 18 years. This is not surprising as this age group are more likely to have been in paid employment and to have lost jobs or had their hours reduced. Impacts of COVID-19 on children and young people who contact Kids Helpline • 2020 • 31