Masks in class: How damaging to child development?

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WASHINGTON — Two years into the pandemic, concerns around the effect of masks on the linguistic, emotional and social development of children are taking centre stage.

In the United States , calls to lift mask mandates at school have multiplied in recent weeks, including within the scientific community, at a time when new cases of Covid-19 are plunging.

"But there are studies that demonstrate that children can tune into these different communication cues and gestures when an adult's mouth isn't visible." The agency recommends masking in public for those aged two and up, while the World Health Organisation suggests the age of five."More important is the emotional side," says Dr Manfred Spitzer, who's also a specialist in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Ulm in Germany. He notes that the first thing lost with a mask is the sight of a smile.

Dr Carol Vidal, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University, said that she's concerned at a societal level, though parents shouldn't panic. In the United States , calls to lift mask mandates at school have multiplied in recent weeks, including within the scientific community, at a time when new cases of Covid-19 are plunging.

"But there are studies that demonstrate that children can tune into these different communication cues and gestures when an adult's mouth isn't visible." The agency recommends masking in public for those aged two and up, while the World Health Organisation suggests the age of five."More important is the emotional side," says Dr Manfred Spitzer, who's also a specialist in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Ulm in Germany. He notes that the first thing lost with a mask is the sight of a smile.

 

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If you have young kids, you will know the importance of them being able to read your lips and other non verbal cues. We can say that the current gains to masking up kids outweigh the cost. But to say there is nothing to worry about, is a falsehood.

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