Currently, most places require those 2 and up to wear face masks. But 2 years old is too young and premature to be forced to wear face masks. Not only that, their brains are not developed enough to understand the importance of them. After all, they're still just babies, who still wear diapers, like pacifiers, put things in their mouths, and a good number of them can't even talk. Therefore, authorities should not force them to wear face masks at all. Only people 3 and up should be required to wear face masks.

Other reasons 2-year-olds should not be required to wear face masks include, but are not limited to:

Their speech development can be interfered with

Their brain development could be delayed (already a concern)

Their abilities to understand words can be impaired when the other people are wearing face masks

Their abilities to recognize faces can become more challenging

I am assuming whoever decided to require those 2 and up to wear face masks doesn’t have a very clear understanding of child development. No adult should be forced to put face masks on toddlers and struggle because the toddlers will resist crankily. One site even said that it was unfortunate. But I strongly disagree as it’s in a baby’s nature to act that way against things they don’t want. Of course toddlers are going to fight, kick, and scream when being pushed to wear a face mask.

What I do think is unfortunate is that certain places will enforce mask-wearing on those 2 and up and ask entire families to leave the premises if their toddlers refuse face masks. This actually happened quite recently on a plane. A 2-year-old wouldn’t wear a face mask and a flight attendant asked the entire family to leave, which made the other children in that same family cry, since the toddler wasn’t complying with the face mask mandate for everyone 2 and up. I do not think that is okay. I could never imagine a family getting kicked out of somewhere if a toddler acted crankily or refused anything else.

If that was 5-year-old, for instance, who made a fuss about wearing a face mask and refused it, then I would understand forcing the family off the plane. The 5-year-old should most definitely be scolded and punished for that action as someone that age should be able to understand why he or she has to wear a face mask when it’s required. So, it would have been his or her own problem.

But with a 2-year-old, I believe it should be the opposite. I was very heartbroken and upset when I read that news story. I am surprised to hear no word of the parents filing a complaint or anything for payback against the airport as well as doing everything they can to stand up for their toddler. I sure hope they do eventually. I certainly would if I were a parent of a 2-year-old. 

Once a child is 3, though, he or she should be able to know right from wrong and understand the extreme importance of safety precautions, whether they’re temporary or permanent. But until age 3, no child should be expected to follow strict rules and make their families punished for their wrongdoing.