The voices of children and young people during COVID-19: A critical review of methods.

Aim: Critically review research methods used to elicit children and young people's views and experiences in the first year of COVID-19, using an ethical and child rights lens.

Methods: A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature on children and young people's perspectives and experiences of COVID-19. LEGEND (Let Evidence Guide Every New Decision) tools were applied to assess the quality of included studies. The critical review methodology addressed four ethical parameters: (1) Duty of care; (2) Children and young people's consent; (3) Communication of findings; and (4) Reflexivity.

Results: Two phases of searches identified 8131 studies; 27 studies were included for final analysis, representing 43,877 children and young people's views. Most studies were from high-income countries. Three major themes emerged: (a) Whose voices are heard; (b) How are children and young people heard; and (c) How do researchers engage in reflexivity and ethical practice? Online surveys of children and young people from middle-class backgrounds dominated the research during COVID-19. Three studies actively involved children and young people in the research process; two documented a rights-based framework. There was limited attention paid to some ethical issues, particularly the lack of inclusion of children and young people in research processes.

Conclusion: There are equity gaps in accessing the experiences of children and young people from disadvantaged settings. Most children and young people were not involved in shaping research methods by soliciting their voices.