The loneliness of an interrupted adolescence

The emotional-fallout of the pandemic has hit teenagers deeply — but some are trying to help. At a time where most emotional support comes in the form of in-person social interaction, life in lockdown has made many adolescents feel isolated and unable to cope. In The Washington Post, Ellen McCarthy talks to the teenage volunteers of help-hotlines determined to support their vulnerable peers, whilst confronting their own issues of spending life's formative years in a time of social distancing. "The young volunteers at Teen Line, founded in 1980 to allow teens in crisis to confide in other teens, have a unique view into how teenagers have been surviving the emotional fallout of the pandemic. During the day, those volunteers live out the highs, lows and in-betweens of their own lives in the shadow of the virus and the upheaval it’s caused. At night, they field a deluge of calls, texts and emails from peers who are feeling the darkness creep in on them."