It’s ‘Not Sad At All’ That Kids Are Afraid Of Going Maskless, Expert Says

An expert in adolescent development said it was not concerning or sad that middle schoolers are afraid to take their masks off, even when mandates are lifted, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Andrew Fuligni, director of the Adolescent Development Lab at University of California, Los Angeles, told the LA Times that parents should be “not sad at all” children became so accustomed to masks over the past two years that they were afraid to show their faces in school.

“They don’t know what is going to happen; they don’t know what to expect,” he argued. “They haven’t done this kind of thing completely uncovered for a long time. It’s new to them and that’s really cool. I think it’s fantastic.”

“That’s the thing about the adolescent brain,” Fuligni added. “It’s designed to learn and grow and adapt to new circumstances.” The article’s author discussed her middle school son and his friends, who attend a school in Los Angeles and have been required to mask indoors for the last ten months.

The students expressed self-consciousness about letting their friends see their faces and even seeing their friends’ faces, and some students worried that they would be less attractive with their masks off, according to the LA Times. The author said students mostly continued wearing masks even when they were optional.

Los Angeles County schools dropped its outdoor mask mandate Tuesday and will drop its indoor mask mandate March 11, according to the LA Times. The CDC relaxed its mask guidance Friday and no longer recommends masks in most indoor settings.

Fuligni did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.