Behind closed bedroom doors, a teenage mental health crisis is brewing | Gaby Hinsliff

Britain's schools shutdown risks creating a generation of angry, withdrawn young people. Who will pick up the pieces?

It's never been exactly easy to get a teenager up in the morning. But behind many of our children's closed bedroom doors, something is now unravelling. During last spring and summer, parents of older children worried about them galivanting off for rebellious lockdown-busting parties. In the dark depths of January, the fear is more for kids with all the stuffing knocked out of them; teenagers spending the whole day huddled miserably under duvets, refusing to complete online lessons, or mentally checking out.

Illicit teenage parties were, of course, a health risk. But sad, withdrawn, angry kids who would rather roll over than face another day in lockdown represent a whole new medical crisis in the making.