For most freshmen, starting college comes with a lot of anxiety. But for Kitty McFarland, the fear of hitting a home run goes deeper than just doing her own laundry and balancing classwork with going out.
When the 18-year-old starts teaching classes for the first time next month, she will wear a face mask at all times – the type we all know from Covid.
Kitty has been wearing one almost every time she leaves the house since the start of the pandemic in 2020 and she has no plans to take it off anytime soon, despite feeling like it alienates her from her peers.
“I’m afraid of being seen as an outsider,” she says. “But sometimes you have to pick your battles.”
Kitty McFarland has worn a mask nearly every time she leaves the house since the pandemic began in 2020
A masked Violet Affleck, with her Hollywood star father Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
Kitty says she was bullied for wearing a mask at school, which is one of the reasons she is so afraid of going to college.
“People called me mean nicknames because I always had a face covering on,” she says. “It created an image that everyone thought was weird, so no one wanted to hang out with me. No one even tried to get to know me.
“When you wear a mask, you are in your own bubble.”
Kitty chooses to wear a face mask because she is dealing with the chronic illness COVID-19 and is afraid it will get worse if she contracts the virus again.
And she’s not alone. Last month, Violet Affleck, the 18-year-old daughter of Hollywood star Ben Affleck, explained why she wears one when she spoke out against plans to ban masks in California amid concerns that protesters are using them to hide their identities during pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Violet said she was struggling with “post-viral illness” after falling ill during the pandemic, and stressed that a ban would make “vulnerable members of our community less safe.”
Her speech divided opinion, with some calling her “brave” while others called her “mad” and “completely deluded.”
According to experts, Kitty and Violet are among the group of teenagers for whom life has not moved on since the pandemic.
Despite doctors warning of the damaging psychological and emotional impact masking can have on adolescent development, these young people are still terrified of getting Covid. Some even believe that wearing a face covering is their moral duty.
Many routinely take to social media to lament the end of Covid mask mandates, commiserating about the feeling of being “left behind” by their peers. TikTok videos of influencers sharing tips on how to manage anxiety when they’re the only ones wearing a mask have racked up tens of thousands of views. “Don’t look them in the eye and judge them even more for not wearing a mask,” one advised.
Face masks have long been used by medical professionals to limit the spread of germs in hospitals.
The goal is to prevent infected people from spreading these bacteria when they breathe out – or in turn, to reduce the risk of others inhaling dangerous viruses.
During the pandemic, masks were introduced as a measure to limit the spread of the coronavirus, including legal requirements that forced the wearing of masks in public spaces such as supermarkets. For a time, children were also expected to wear masks in school, although children under 11 were exempt.
However, since then, there has been a heated debate about whether masks have actually reduced the spread of the virus.
A 2021 study claimed face coverings helped reduce infections by 50 percent. However, a study earlier this year by the University of East Anglia said they were largely ineffective in combating Covid.
Research has shown that mandatory face mask wearing at school has a negative impact on the mental and emotional health of children.
For teenagers who continue to wear face coverings after the measures are lifted, this could have serious psychological consequences.
“How young people see themselves is really important,” says Dr Stella Chan, a clinical psychologist at the University of Reading and an expert in adolescent depression. “Social relationships play a huge role in teens’ mental health, so if someone is the only one who keeps wearing a mask, it can make them feel very insecure and ultimately cause them psychological distress.”
Jennifer Garner out and about with her daughter Violet Affleck, who of course wears a mask
However, Kitty says the social isolation she experiences because of her face mask is worth it.
She fell ill with Covid in March 2020. After two further bouts, she was diagnosed with lung Covid – a condition estimated to affect 60,000 children in the UK which can cause extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, brain fog, palpitations and muscle pain. As a result of these symptoms, she often needs a wheelchair to get around.
She now wears a mask outside because she fears she might get re-infected with Covid and that this could worsen her condition.
“Sometimes I wear one for six hours a day,” she says. “But I know it could prevent me from becoming more disabled than I am now.”
It is a theory supported by some experts.
Others believe that wearing masks could prevent young people from overcoming the pandemic.
“If you become obsessed with one risk, you don’t learn how to manage risk effectively,” says Professor Robert Dingwall of Nottingham Trent University.
However, Kitty continues to insist that she will not take off her face mask until scientists find a cure for her condition.
