Children and Masks Essay Example
The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked many debates on the usage of masks, especially when used on young adults. Kids should not be required to wear masks in school. This is because they influence the way children develop socially, and they are at an extremely low risk of having adverse effects from COVID-19.
School typically lasts more or less six hours a day. Face coverings can restrict a child’s breathing if worn for extensive amounts of time. They can begin to get light headed because of the low oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels they are experiencing. Oxygen is an essential part of life, and it is extremely important that a child receives an adequate amount of it at all times, so they can continue growing and using their brains at 100% capacity. When exercising, humans begin to have an increased heart rate, which means that oxygen gets used up more quickly. As a result of this, more is required. People begin breathing harder and faster. This is exactly what happens everyday at recess time. If kids have a mask on their face, they can’t take in as much oxygen as they need to, which can lead to serious consequences including hypoxemia, which in the worst cases interferes with heart and brain function. This implies that masks can actually be harmful to children.
It is vitally important that young kids have the opportunity to socially interact with their peers. When a mask is put over their face, it can lead to many issues that might not first come to mind. Kids convey emotions using their face. Masks unfortunately create a border between kids, making it more difficult for them to connect with others. This can lead to children not having as many friends as they would under normal circumstances. It can even have long term effects such as social anxiety and loneliness, both of which are not good for mental health. (Amy Young, “the harmful effects of masks on children should not be ignored.”)
Schools also shouldn’t force kids to wear masks because they are very low risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics stated that they represent only 13% of total COVID-19 cases. This means that kids are less susceptible to the virus. In addition to this, the CDC wrote, “Hospitalization rates in children are significantly lower than hospitalization rates in adults with COVID-19, suggesting that children may have less severe illness from COVID-19 compared to adults.” This shows that even if a kid gets the virus, it is highly unlikely that they will end up in the hospital.
The main reason why kids shouldn’t be required to wear masks in school is they are very low risk. On top of the fact that kids are less susceptible to the virus, when they do get it, they have very mild symptoms. This shows that even if a kid gets the virus, there is a very small chance that they will end up in the hospital, which concludes the argument on why masks should not be worn in schools.