How the toddlers of today growing up with fully masked teachers during their institutionalized education will manage to develop normal social skills without being able to see people’s faces is beyond me.
How this is not national news 24/7? It is a disaster. So much about protecting the children…
At least for covid, this has never been about protecting the children, mostly about protecting old people. I remember a classmate calling it "sacrificing the mental health of the youth for the physical health of the old".
I would expect less physical movement overall (bad), more respiratory issues from over-wearing masks, anxiety manifesting as physical issues, and a host of other second order effects.
And let's not forget that poorer kids worldwide are facing less access to dentists and other preventative medicine overall. That people are letting this stuff slide while 'health' companies post record profits is maddening.
But yes in summer the only real upside is getting to dress like a bank robber.
Regardless, having overflowing hospitals is bad for children and every other age group.
I'll add a point that might sound very bad, but I think it has to be taken into account. In the country where I live, France, people between ~20 and ~60 years old pay for the healthcare and retirement of mostly everyone else. That means that if someone was 22 at the start of covid, and in their last 2 years of studies, they had a hard time to protect people 60+ years old. Then, for the next 20 years, they're going to pay the healthcare and the retirement of those people. Considering that the fertility is getting lower and lower in France, I think this is a very dangerous strategy for the long-term stability of public expanses.
We are in a democracy, and we didn't get any choice in how covid was handled. In France the mean age is 42 years old, the median age is 41 years old [1]. The mean age in the Assemblée Nationale is 51 years old [2]. It's also the mean age of the current governement [3]. The mean age of mayors is 58 years old [4]. All of that makes me think that there might be a bias to protect older people, and that some of the decision taken came from that.
[1]: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2381476
[2]: https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/vos-deputes
[3]: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouvernement_Jean_Castex
[4]: https://www.amf.asso.fr/documents-la-carte-didentite-maires-...
So I disagree with your point entirely. And I've provided even more reasoning than you did about why today's children will be even better at social conduct than their predecessors.
The wealthy kids have that opportunity. Kids with natural social skills may be fine too.
However, kids with two parents that are working 4 jobs won't reach their full potential. Many kids already have issues from this; and it's awful that their voices and their parents voices - and their psychologists voices - aren't being heard.
Myself, I find it abhorrent that people are casually brushing aside a clear major developmental impact on an entire generation of growing children. The cost benefit ratio seems awfully bad.
I am unaware of a single family, anywhere on the planet, that was "decimated" by Covid. I hope you really mean "devastated," because then at least you'd be making some semblance of sense.
Also, to ignore that there are studies and experts that back their opinion is a little rich. Sure, you can say you think your studies and your experts are better, but to assume those who disagree with you are "idiots" is, again, pretty over-the-top, and exactly the sort of thing someone can point to and say: "Look, these pro-maskers are projecting."
Why not try to be a little more understanding and share some of this knowledge with people? Do you really need to stoop so low?
Then perhaps this is a good time to start paying attention to your surroundings.
In the short term, it's a detriment; they will have to struggle more and will encounter more difficulties in socialization. But that's not necessarily a Unique problem, there have always been kids with these kinds of problems, if not at this rate. And on this short term we're decreasing mortality from covid and hopefully keeping hospital resources available to minimize mortality from other causes.
Over the long term, decreased mortality is generally a net societal gain. An increase of people with issues socializing will result in an increase in the market for solutions, tools, community, and support that help with this kind of problem. These solutions would help both the pandemic babies And those who would normally struggle, and would be available to future generations too!
The Point is that in the short term there's an increase in the number of people who have trouble socializing, but in the long term society develops better support systems and tools to help people who have trouble socializing, because there's an increased need. These tools help both people who developed problems as a result of the pandemic, And people who would Normally have problems socializing not just now but in the future as well.
And those in institutions still spend tons amount of time at home.