David Zweig: The Science of Masking Kids at School Remains Uncertain

David Zweig, a freelance journalist who has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications is at the intersection of media, technology and psychology.

In August he published an insightful Intelligencer article on the science of masking kids at school, highlighting that the protective value of a mask mandate for children in school seems, at best, uncertain, [and that] experts have concerns about the potential downsides of them in a learning environment.

“Mask-wearing among children is generally considered a low-risk mitigation strategy; however, the negatives are not zero, especially for young children,” said Lloyd Fisher, the president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “It is important for children to see facial expressions of their peers and the adults around them in order to learn social cues and understand how to read emotions.” Some children with special needs, for example those with articulation delays, may be most affected, he suggested. Fisher stressed his opinions are not to be perceived as contradicting AAP’s stance for universal masking of students but said he wanted to discuss some of the potential harms and the importance of using evidence and data to drive decisions on when to eliminate mask usage.

“There are very good reasons that the World Health Organization has repeatedly affirmed their guidance for children under 6 to not wear masks,” said a pediatrician who has both state and national leadership roles in the AAP but who wished to remain anonymous because they did not want to jeopardize their roles in the organization. “Reading faces is critical for social emotional learning. And all children are actively learning language the first five years of life, for which seeing faces is foundational,” the pediatrician said.

Intelligencer Article - The Science of Masking Kids at School Remains Uncertain by David Zweig