Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun;110(6):1778-1783.
doi: 10.1111/apa.15784. Epub 2021 Feb 21.

The impact of face masks on children-A mini review

Martin Eberhart  1 , Stefan Orthaber  1 , Reinhold Kerbl  1
Affiliations
Review

The impact of face masks on children-A mini review

Martin Eberhart et al. Acta Paediatr. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Aim: Face masks are essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Health Organization, recommend that they are used for children aged six years and older. However, parents are increasingly expressing concerns about whether these might be physically harmful. This mini review assessed the evidence.

Method: We conducted a narrative review on the effects of mask wearing on physiological variables in children, using PubMed, the Cochrane Library and the World Health Organization COVID-19 Database up to 7 November 2020. The lack of paediatric studies prompted a second search for adult studies.

Results: We only found two paediatric studies, published in 2019 and 2020. The 2020 study was not related to COVID-19. Only one study, performed with N95 respirators, collected medical parameters, and this did not suggest any harmful effects of gas exchange. The eight adult studies, including four prompted by the pandemic and one on surgeons, reported that face masks commonly used during the pandemic did not impair gas exchange during rest or mild exercise.

Conclusion: International guidelines recommend face masks for children aged six years and older, but further studies are needed to provide evidence-based recommendations for different age groups.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; face masks; gas exchange; pandemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . COVID‐19: Considerations for Wearing Masks [Internet]. [update 2020; cited 2020 Nov 20]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019‐ncov/prevent‐getting‐sick/cloth‐fac....
    1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control . Using face masks in the community ‐ Reducing COVID‐19 transmission from potentially asymptomatic or pre‐symptomatic people through the use of face masks [Internet]. 2020 Apr [cited 2020 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications‐data/using‐face‐masks‐communi....
    1. Koch‐Institut R. Mund‐Nasen‐Bedeckung im öffentlichen Raum als weitere Komponente zur Reduktion der Übertragungen von COVID‐19. Strategie‐Ergänzung zu empfohlenen Infektionsschutzmaßnahmen und Zielen (3. Update) [Mouth and nose covering in public spaces as a further component to reduce the transmission of COVID‐19. Strategy addition to recommended infection control measures and goals]. Epid Bull [Internet]. 2020;19:3–5. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.25646/6731.
    1. World Health Organization . Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID‐19: interim guidance, 5 June 2020. World Health Organization; 2020. [cited 2020 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice‐on‐the‐use‐of‐masks‐in‐th....
    1. World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) . Advice on the use of masks for children in the community in the context of COVID‐19: annex to the advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID‐19, 21 August 2020. World Health Organization; 2020. [cited 2020 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO‐2019‐nCoV‐IPC_Masks‐Children....