You can't say this so nonchalantly, though, because it absolutely is going to alter a child or teenagers life. These are prime development and educational years that they're missing out on.
I taught over 150 students at my junior high in grades 7 and 8, and there was probably a good 40-50 students that either didn't know how to work online, or straight up didn't do anything whatsoever and we're talking three months of zero work being completed. That has a huge affect on kids.
Then there's the lack of environment. No friends to be around, no classroom to be in for the regular 8 hours per day. No lunch time shenanigans. No field trips. No school sports teams or student clubs. No one-on-one time with teachers for assistance. No in-person reassurance in the classroom when lessons are being delivered. I can't tell you how many students just need that look of approval while I'm teaching to let them know that they are, in fact, getting it. They don't have that anymore.
So yes, it is going to alter their lives in a very negative way. If schools are to shut down for a full school year, and re-open in 2021 for example, they'll have gone 18 months without regular school. That can't happen.
I have to disagree strongly with this. Is it possible you may be a bit biased as a teacher? I mean what quantifiable effect do you think it really has for a child not to do homework for three months? Are they going to turn into idiot adults?
Because over the course of my life I have met countless people who are complete idiots that did well in school, and conversely some extremely intelligent people that did poorly in school. I've met countless people who didn't do well in school, but are some of the most informed people on earth because there's so many ways to "learn" or gather information now.
An extra few months off from doing schoolwork isn't going to have a meaningful effect on how smart someone is, how much they adjust to society, or much they're able to learn.
And I don't know if you've noticed, but teenagers aren't exactly isolating themselves. They're hanging out with each other seemingly just as much, and in just as big of groups as they did before. Almost always without masks but that's a side point. So the no friends, field trips, school sports, student clubs thing is really not a big deal at all IMO.
Maybe things have changed now, but I don't remember any in-person reassurance in the classroom, or looks of approval from any of my teachers. You might be in the minority if you are making that much of an effort for your students. Children miss school for months every year though during the summer and winter, and they get by fine without those things.
Of all the things that can have a negative impact on a child's life, extending their summer essentially for an extra semester or two at most is waaaaaaaaaaaaay down the list IMO. I'm pretty sure I'd be the exact same person I am today if that happened to me when I was young.
I might even be a tad smarter if I had some extra time when I was young to learn about the subjects/employment avenues I actually enjoy, and have a bit more character having to go through the adversity of having to adapt to times like this when I was younger.
Think about the sacrifices people and children/schools had to make during WWII. Not just in the US but all over the world. It's not like kids were getting their regular courses in France when it was getting fire bombed to hell. This brief moment in time pales so much in comparison to that. The kids are going to be just fine.
This isn't going to last forever either. Or in all cities. They just need to be cautious with certain cities that are hot spots, until some therapies and hopefully a vaccine comes around towards the end of the year.