Critical Evaluation of the Impact of COVID‐19 Pandemic on Child Health and Wellbeing and Suggested Preparedness for Future Pandemics–A Narrative Review

ABSTRACT Background and Aims The immediate and long‐term effects of COVID‐19 pandemic on the children go beyond just being a viral infection. A child's mental health and psychological issues like irritability, anxiety, sadness, non‐attentiveness, attention deficit and hyperactive disorder needed evaluation. Based on these study queries, an investigation was carried out to correlate the psychological state and the emergency measures in children with respect to the health and wellbeing outcomes. Methods A web‐search across scientific databases like the Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed was undertaken for a situational review through available literature, and derive credible solutions. This narrative review included peer‐reviewed articles published between January 2020 and February 2026 in English language, focusing on children wellbeing in wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic. After analysing the authenticity and relevance of the literature, 158 articles/data were shortlisted for further analyses. The data were qualitatively validated, synthesised into discrete sections and interpreted in the context of the objective of the study. Result Children particularly in low‐economy families were likely to experience violence and abuse if they stayed for long in high‐risk settings like refugee settlements for internally displaced community. On the contrary, the children of high‐economy families had weight gain issues owing to erratic consumption patterns of high‐calorie food (like dairy products and sugar‐rich packaged snacks) coupled with restricted or limited physical activities. Their dietary patterns and unhealthy eating habits needed monitoring and restrictions to curb obesity risk in the long run. Elevated stress, anxiety and depression levels in a child may result in cognitive impairment. The possibilities of their getting addicted, developing insomnia and acquiring non‐communicable illnesses were aspects to consider. Preventive measures like social distancing, lockdowns and shutdowns and mass vaccination drives had wider and critical long‐term impact on the young and adolescent. Formulating workable modalities to identify critical influencing factors of a pandemic and assess the impact on the children and beyond is essential for foolproof solutions to combat future occurrences. Conclusion Identifying the associated risk factors and correlating the emergency measures and psychological health seem essential. The supply of quality food seamlessly to the affected communities and the provision of protective gears for the healthcare workers could help keep the children well‐fed and relaxed while ensuring the wellbeing of healthcare workers. Maternal and infant care, child‐health services, and life‐saving medicines and vaccines would also help ease the pressure.