The father of a deceased high school football standout from the Chicago metro region says COVID-related restrictions contributed to his son’s death and are hurting America’s youth.
Dylan Buckner reportedly committed suicide in January after a battle with depression that was exacerbated by isolation and lifestyle restrictions imposed by local and state authorities under the guise of the ‘coronavirus crisis.’
Buckner, who served as captain and quarterback of his football team at Glenbrook North High School, was just 18-years-old at the time of his death.
Now, his father Chris is warning officials espousing trite mantras about curbing the spread of COVID should be aware that lockdowns are fueling a dangerous mental health crisis.
“There’s no doubt in our minds that the stress he was feeling as a result of school closures, not being with his friends, not being able to play football absolutely contributed to his death,” Chris Buckner told Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday.
“In March, when the pandemic hit, there was talk about ‘flattening the curve’ of COVID-19 deaths, but I wanted to come on today to talk about the need to flatten the curve of suicide deaths in today’s teens, because I really think it’s a crisis.”
Buckner says he has received a large response from other parents concerned about the negative psychological effects school closures and lockdowns are having on children.
“In Cook County, where I live, there have been 30 suicides of kids 18-and-under since last March when the pandemic hit, and there have only been five COVID-related deaths in that same age group, over that same time period,” he said.
Nationwide, the proportion of mental health-related emergency department visits for children under the age of 18 rose considerably during the latter half of 2020, according to CDC figures.
A UN-funded cartoon is teaching kids they will never leave their home or own anything in the future!
