Has any research been conducted in one of the countries that is very keen on masks for children into how the children really feel about it? I think children older than toddlers are quite good at masking when things are affecting them, especially if they've been told something is their moral duty or a necessary condition for going to school / seeing their friends (leaving aside the question of whether or not this is true).
I've just been reading the results from a survey of compulsory school children in Iceland (ages 6-16), where children born in 2005 or later are exempt from masks, although briefly this was changed to 2011 and then changed back. So children older than 9 have experience of masks in shops, school and public transport. Translating some bits (source: www.barn.is/frasagnir-barna-af-covid-2/).
From the summary:
"The children mentioned masks a lot and generally found them uncomfortable. They said it was harder to breathe while wearing a mask, although reusable masks were more comfortable. The worst thing was wearing masks for sports and it was a big improvement when they didn't have to anymore. Some children found it harder than others to wear masks, e.g. the children mentioned in particular that it was particularly difficult for children with autism. Many children found it strange to wear a mask at school and mentioned that it was distracting to wear a mask in exams."
From the children's own words (including negative, neutral and positive):
"I feel good at school, not much has actually changed except we have to wear masks and we can't leave our classroom."
"Let's wear masks, follow the rules, it's not complicated, most of us grew up wearing balaclavas."
"When I heard I would have to wear a mask at school I was excited to wear one because I never had before. But after I'd worn a normal mask for one day I really couldn't take it. I was dying, but then I bought some reusable masks, they were much more comfortable and I could manage them better."
"The worst thing about covid is having to wear masks everywhere except at sports practice."
"It was worst in sports, I think, because I love exercising but we had to be outside and walking in the freezing cold wearing masks, it was like a sauna stuck to our faces. Now we still have to wear masks but we can take them off for sports."
"I feel all right, but still bad because you have to wear a mask and use hand sanitiser and stick to the rules and that, which is a bit difficult for me, but it's necessary so that hopefully everything will be OK."
I think it's a mixed bag, just like it is for adults. Some people do struggle with wearing masks, especially for an extended period, some don't. I think adults are maybe more likely to be truthful about how they are feeling about it..
The whole report is very sobering. Children have really been affected a lot, even here where we've had a pretty 'easy' pandemic compared to a lot of countries. I don't believe that children are 'so resilient and adaptable' that they are less affected than adults generally - I think they are just less likely to complain and generally do not have as strong a voice in society. I read all the anonymous answers from the children and many of them described the exact same things I've been feeling myself. One last sentence from the report that I found particularly upsetting: "Some children said that they didn't have a right to feel bad, because other people had it much worse than they did." I know a lot of adults feel that way too!