Section 9: Looking to the future Fear of death and losing loved ones was raised by many children as key worries about the future, particularly by younger children. As discussed in section 5.2, many children said they had been worried about catching or spreading COVID-19 over the past two years. They also expressed generalised fear and sadness about death. This was not always COVID-19 specific. (b) Apprehension about growing up A number of children expressed worry about ‘growing up’ or ‘leaving school’ and the responsibilities of adulthood, including children from younger age groups. The idea of change and transition to new environments was both exciting and daunting for children. This is supported by other research that found transition points can be disruptive for children.55 9.2 Children’s worries for the future Children were asked to provide free-text responses to the question ‘thinking about the future, tell us something you are down, scared or worried about.’ (a) Fear of continuing pandemic In response, many children said they were concerned that the pandemic and the restrictions would continue, or even worsen. It should be noted that when children were completing this survey, the Omicron COVID-19 variant was spreading throughout Australia. In this context, many children expressed anxiety about the possibility that lockdowns, vaccination and face mask mandates would continue indefinitely. Some said they were worried that the pandemic would never end, and that life would never go back to ‘normal’. 116 | ‘Mental health shapes my life’: COVID-19 & kids’ wellbeing • 2022 | 117