Face coverings have little utility for young school-aged children

Policies on children and schools during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Western Europe

“…While there is evidence that high-quality masks can block SARS-CoV-2 transmission in strictly controlled settings, their efficacy does not automatically translate to real-life scenarios, especially for children. A recent large study from Catalonia (Spain) found no differences in SARS-CoV-2 cases in children of similar age groups attending classes with or without mask requirements ( 183 ), confirming previous studies ( 182 ). Conversely, studies from the US identified benefits from masking school children ( 184 , 185 ), while in Finland no effect was identified ( 186 ), although these studies are at a lower evidence level than the Catalonia study due to ecological design and risk of bias from contemporary use of different non-pharmacological interventions.…”

“…Evidence of mask efficacy in school settings is low or inconclusive, and the safety for children has been questioned ( 182 ). While there is evidence that high-quality masks can block SARS-CoV-2 transmission in strictly controlled settings, their efficacy does not automatically translate to real-life scenarios, especially for children.…”

The United States’ decision to mask children as young as two for COVID-19 has been extended into 2023 and beyond: The implications of this policy

“…Multiple international pediatric experts have expressed strong concerns about masking of children [4] , [5] and, as we show in Figure 1 , weighing the highest quality evidence we have on masking effectiveness with the potential harms, masking children looks increasingly unfavorable. The CDC’s unchanging policy in spite of this calls into question the agency’s ability to make appropriate, evidence-based guidance, particularly for the youngest in our society.…”

Does equipoise exist for masking children for COVID-19?

“…Multiple international experts have argued against masking children citing both a lack of high-quality evidence of benefit and concerns about harms to learning and development [ [8] , [9] , [10] ], especially among pre-school age children [ 10 ]. One review by physicians from Uruguay and the United States pointed to a long list of studies documenting harms associated with masking children including increased anxiety, physical discomfort, decreased learning ability and recognition of emotion and sound [ 11 ].…”