Child mask mandates for Covid-19: a systematic review

The mask debate is so ridiculous I'm astonished that we are still having it. Why do so many (mostly science deniers) constantly have an axe to grind? Those most "propagandized" are almost a complete overlap with those that identify as "independent thinkers". Please, tell me again what Joe Rogan said on a podcast. Ugh.

Replying since you are sorted as top comment at time of this reply...

You seem to be implying the people who spoke out against children masking are Joe Rogan watching, science denying, propaganda believing, "independent thinkers".

Funny place to post that analysis... in the comment section of a massive meta-analysis whose results include:

"Conclusions Real-world effectiveness of child mask mandates against SARS-CoV-2 transmission or infection has not been demonstrated with high-quality evidence. The current body of scientific data does not support masking children for protection against COVID-19."

Perhaps read the article and look at yourself in mirror before jumping to tribal us/them mentality... otherwise its you who may be the science denying, propaganda believing, "independent thinker"

I think GP was referring to themself as science illiterate, maybe?

It seemed like an odd comment to make given this seems like a decently rigorous paper in a reputable journal. So saying “only cool people believe in science, that’s not this science” seems really off and odd to me.

Here’s my suspicion, based on observation but no statistical evidence:

1. Most masks for children fit extremely poorly. I doubt they do much filtration of incoming air. Maybe they’re useful for source control, especially for pathogens that spread through large droplets (i.e. maybe not Covid).

2. They do have one major obvious effect: when worn even remotely correctly, they keep kid fingers and hands away from kid mouths and noses.

So I expect them to be quite useful at protecting kids from pathogens that are contracted by collecting the pathogens on one’s hands and sticking them in one’s mouth or rubbing one’s nose. And they may also have a strong source control effect for pathogens that come from kid mouths or noses, get on kid hands, and spread onto surfaces.

These are not descriptions of Covid! But there are a lot of diseases that kids get frequently that aren’t Covid. I bet they substantially reduce transmission by the fecal-oral route, for example. And they may help quite a bit against the kinds of viruses that kids actually get from outdoor playground, especially if the kids wash or sanitize their hands after playing.

This. I hope none of you had to endure air travel in the height of the absurd Biden administration's unscientific mask mandates. The poor Delta flight attendants had to go row to row making sure toddlers were wearing a piece of fabric over their face, which the kid would take off every 15 seconds. It was traumatic for me, the staff, my kid, and those around us. And it was all for nothing. I will never forget what they've put us through.