Classroom mask advice 'devastating for children', says parent group leader

2 January 2022, 20:14

'This is really devastating for children.'

The government's recommendation for secondary school pupils to wear face masks is "devastating for children", co-founder of 'children first' group UsforThem Molly Kingsley tells LBC.

It comes as secondary school pupils in England have once again been asked to wear face masks in classrooms in a bid to limit the threat posed by the Omicron variant.

"I think that this is really devastating for children," said Ms Kingsley.

"We know that face masks impede learning."

When pressed on why this was the case by Ian Payne, Ms Kingsley said: "What is education if not communication? Communication is key for education, and masks inhibit communication."

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Ms Kingsley said that some children are unable to "speak at an age-appropriate level" following the pandemic and others have struggled with mental illness.

"We further impede them at a time when the vast majority of adults are not required to wear masks anything like 7 hours a day in England," she said.

"This is insanity and it's incredibly unfair on kids.

"The real issue from a parent point of view here... is that no harm assessment of this measure has ever been carried out."

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