The worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' experiences with family, peers, school, and civic engagement

During the early years of the 2020s, adolescents worldwide faced the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This special section includes four review articles examining how the pandemic influenced youth family relationships, peer relationships, experiences at school, and their civic engagement. These reviews are complemented by four insightful commentaries and five contributions from youth reflecting on their personal experiences during this unprecedented time. Collectively, the reviews, commentaries, and youth perspectives offer a profound and nuanced understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the pathways by which contextual factors either hindered or facilitated positive youth development. They provide guidelines aimed at empowering and supporting youth and their families while also considering the systems in which they are embedded.