There are many cultures that strongly value parents, elders and extended family, and Covid is 'a cold' that could kill random loved ones in their extended famil

There are many cultures that strongly value parents, elders and extended family, and Covid is 'a cold' that could kill random loved ones in their extended family, such as their favorite grandmother or their aunt's best friend. For a teenager, being the vector of infection that leads to such a death would result in critical emotional trauma and lead to a much higher risk of suicide — a fact they are well aware of, given the significant uptick in suicides within their age group since Covid began. They may be teenagers, but they're not wrong to attend to the minutiae; whether for selfish or for social reasons, that awareness may be all that is keeping them and their loved ones alive. It is cruel and unjust and wrong that they alone are attending to the minutiae of masking, but here in the United States our social support systems often require them to bear that responsibility, as the adults responsible for them often do not.