Kids and masks: blame the parents and the peers

A survey of 500 parents of children of elementary school age and under was recently published which gives insights into the how Japanese mums and their kids think about child masking now it’s optional. Key finding: mums like it much more than their kids do.

Asked how their kids feel about mask-wearing, the mums’ responses were mostly negative. 47.8% of kids dislike masks because they are humid and annoying/get in the way and 15.1% because their faces can’t be seen. But some kids wanted to keep masking because they were worried about Covid (18.8%), masking had become a habit (17.1%), or they were embarrassed to show their face (10%).

When asked about changes in their children since they’ve been masking less, 57.9% reported no change, but the others reported positive changes: 24.6% said their kids’ expressions had become brighter, 16.3% said they smiled more, 12.3% said they conversed more, and 10.8% said their skin was nicer.

Sadly despite these results, the majority of Japanese children won’t be able to breath easily just yet because they have Covidian mothers: 66% want their kids to mask when necessary and 4.6% want them to mask all the time. Only 23.8% of mums want their kids to mask as little as possible and just 5.6% are against them masking at all.

You don’t get to choose your parents.

But what about high-school students, who are old enough to make their own decisions? Well, according to a recent 490-person survey, 85% are still masking at school.

Do you wear a mask in the classroom? Blue: Always. Orange: Most of the time. Gray: Never. Yellow: Mostly not.

Their reasons for continued masking included now predictable responses like “I’m embarrassed to show my face” and “Everyone else in masking.” But other responses show the fears Japanese high schoolers have about people thinking negatively of them if they unmask aren’t irrational.

“It’s not been said to me personally, but I was shocked to see people on social networking sites saying ‘Unmasked people = People who think they’re good looking.’” (1st year female)

“I’ve overheard people say ‘She’s a masked beauty [i.e., someone who looks good with a mask but not without]’. I’m scared of being thought of that way.” (3rd year female)

“After masking became a personal choice, I saw my friend walking home from school unmasked and someone from the local neighbourhood with a displeased expression said to them ‘Oh, you’re unmasking?’, which made me feel uneasy.” (2nd year female)

“Up to now, we’ve been constantly told ‘Wear a mask’, so I get frustrated when I see people unmask like they’re heroes.” (3rd year female)

Like your parents, you don’t get to choose the country you grow up in either.