Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research he is undertaking to assess the effect on children's mental health of their social contact moving online as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has funded or supported various studies into the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people’s mental health. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the NIHR jointly launched the Rapid Response Rolling Call to fund research that aimed to understand, prevent, or manage COVID-19. Four studies were funded into the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people’s mental health.