Impact of Wearing Face Masks during COVID-19 Pandemic on Preschoolers' Social Development

Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Education whether there is any study being commissioned to understand the impact of preschool children wearing face masks at preschools during the COVID-19 pandemic on their social development and to develop strategies to deal with any identified issues when they enter Primary schools.

MOE has not commissioned any formal studies on the impact of mask wearing on the social and emotional development of preschool children. The specific impact of mask wearing may be difficult to determine within this short timeframe.

From child development theories and feedback from teachers and parents, we know that children benefit from being able to see their teachers’ and caregivers’ faces and the full range of expressions for their language and social and emotional development.

While most children would have adapted to mask wearing, we would not be able to ascertain the efficacy of their coping strategies. Nonetheless, teachers will continue to monitor the children and support their holistic development.