Online Debate: Are Face Masks Ill-Advised For Your Children?

People have been advised to put on a face mask as a precautionary measure in stopping the spread of the COVID-19, especially in crowded places. Wearing one will help thwart the escalation of infection when infectious viruses are released airborne through a cough, a sneeze, or even a talk.

However, there have been recent claims online about the dangers of face masks primarily on young children, as mentioned in USA Today. The government may have advised it as being beneficially, but for children under the age of two, this might be quite an alarming prospect as suggested by a now-deleted Facebook post mentioned in the article. But does the continuous wearing result in hypoxia for both adults and children as what was debated online? 

The original post was from user Amy Cox Jones which generated more than 8,500 shares via the popular social media site.

"FYI - putting a mask on a baby or small child will make them pass out and possibly kill them due to hypoxia. Most parents will mistake this for a nap." 

She also then implied that that face masks are harmful in the same way to adults. However, this does not coincide with the guidelines issued by the CDC. 

While Jones' post correctly cautions against using face masks on very young children - a warning included in CDC guidelines - her post also implies that face masks are harmful to adults for the same reason.

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Another article in the same vein came out via Isle of Wight it also discussed the harmful possibility when a baby or child wears a face mask since both have small air passages. This will result in difficulty when breathing through a mask. 

Below are some of the points which were pointed out in the article: 

• Using a mask will result in suffocation because it's quite challenging for someone to breathe.
• Older children will most likely play with their masks and, in the process, accidentally touch their faces.
• In the case of difficulty in breathing, an infant will be unable to remove his or her mask.
• There's a massive potential of a child to get tangled, especially when they want to remove the mask.

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The same thing has raised concern in Japan, as reported by CNN. Again, the article mentioned that infants have a narrower passageway, and wearing a mask will make it more difficult for them to breathe. It also mentioned the risk of suffocation if a child will vomit while still wearing a mask. 

Despite infants and young children being relatively low risk for coronavirus infections, there are still preventive measures that you can do to protect them as elaborated by Nationwide Children's.

• Avoid bringing them outside unless it is necessary.
• Use a blanket instead of a face mask to gently cover their face.
• Remember always to keep your hand clean.
• Always remind older children to stop touching their faces.
• Remember always to wash your hands when you return from the outside of your house. 

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