A tremendously damaging policy to society at large especially children.

I think the first lockdown can be forgiven as we didn't know what we were dealing with. Subsequent ones, it because clear this would be deeply damaging to people.

Such concerns were dismissed and ridiculed at the time as 'not following the science', which is probably true, but it was following the social sciences.

'the science' was designed to control a virus (and it didn't do a great job). It took no account of other factors, whereas a much more holistic approach was needed