The Impact of Wearing Masks

One of our follower on Twitter, @RayPrisament, has an excellent thread cataloguing the impact on kids of wearing masks. Bookmark this email for your reference or refer to his thread here.

RayPrisament @RayPrisament

Oh no, you didn't just say masks on kids are No Big Deal, did you? *sigh* Roll the tape ... 🧵

• New York Times: “Masks have encouraged anonymity and discouraged dialogue. “ 'People don’t know how to communicate anymore,' said Jazlyn Korpics, 18, a senior at Liberty. 'Everybody’s a robot now — their minds are warped.'

• WSJ: "Facial expressions are integral to human connection, particularly for young children ... Covering a child’s face mutes these nonverbal forms of communication and can result in robotic and emotionless interactions"

• Prof. Emily Oster: "The concerns here stem from the observation that the bottom half of the face is important for reading emotions, learning to speak, and learning to read. The theory behind this is compelling." "Masks are not a friendship bracelet"

• Video: "Thank you for not reaching out to the students for asking how feel about masks, because if you did, the majority of students would say they hate masks ... than you for allowing me to experience the anxiety of never seeing facial expressions."

• Video: "I felt like my entire life was falling apart, because of what this government did to young people"

• Pro-mask advocate. "Don't tell me 2 years of masking doesn't impact kids."

• New York Times: "Masks can impede communication"

• Boston Globe: "[Mask-free] students reported 'happier hallways,' 'contagious smiling,' and better class discussions. With fewer masks, English language learners and students learning foreign languages reported better communication."

• TabletMag: "Fifty-nine percent of U.K. teachers in April 2021 stated that asking pupils to wear masks made understanding them a “lot more difficult.” We know that when someone conceals their lips it’s harder to comprehend what they’re saying."

• SF Chronicle: "Every student is struggling with pronunciation/recognizing letter sounds. 'I am often the only adult they interact w that can articulate the sounds, but they can’t see my mouth.' It's especially hard on autistic students."

• German study: “Top German scientists have found that wearing certain types of face masks for long periods of time could result in potentially hazardous chemicals and harmful microplastics being inhaled deep into human lungs.”

• Rational Ground: “The resulting report found that five masks were contaminated with bacteria, parasites, and fungi, including three with dangerous pathogenic and pneumonia-causing bacteria.”

Did we miss any? Comment below.