The case against children’s masks

Do masks reduce the transmission of Covid in children? Believe it or not, we were only able to find one retrospective study on this issue, and its results were inconclusive. Yet two weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention severely decreed that 56 million American children and adolescents, vaccinated or not, should cover their faces regardless of the prevalence of infection in their homes. community. Authorities in many places have taken sides with imposing warrants on schools and elsewhere, based on the theory that masks can do no harm.

This is not true. Some children wear a mask well, but others struggle. Those who suffer from nearsightedness may have difficulty seeing because the mask clouds their glasses. (This has long been a problem for medical students in the operating room.) Masks can cause severe acne and other skin problems. The discomfort of a mask distracts some children from learning. By increasing the resistance of the airways during exhalation, masks can lead to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. And masks can be vectors of pathogens if they get wet or if they are used for too long.

In March, the Irish Department of Health announced that it would not require masks in schools because they “could exacerbate anxiety or breathing difficulties in some pupils”. Some children compensate for these difficulties by breathing through their mouths. Chronic and prolonged mouth breathing can impair facial development. It is well documented that children who breathe through their mouths because adenoids block their nasal airways can develop a deformity of the mouth and an elongated face.

Of even greater concern is the possible psychological damage from widespread masking. Facial expressions are an integral part of human connection, especially for young children, who are only taught to signal fear, confusion, and happiness. Covering a child’s face mutes these non-verbal forms of communication and can lead to robotic and emotionless interactions, anxiety, and depression. Seeing people speak is a building block of phonetic development. It is especially important for children with disabilities such as hearing impairments.

The developmental detrimental effects of having to wear masks for a few weeks are likely minor. We cannot say this for sure when the practice spans months or years.