Table 2 Overview of themes and sub-themes identified in the analysis of social media data on schools testing in England
Theme | Sub-theme | Description | Example quotes |
|---|---|---|---|
Barriers to engaging in testing | |||
Uncertainty around testing in the absence of symptoms | The belief that people should not have to take a test if they are not experiencing symptoms. | Wow the world has gone mad, testing healthy people/kids to prove they are ill. The Metro, 25.03.2021 Perhaps we should screen them for any and all diseases known and unknown to man because there is a risk that one of them could be carrying a disease??? The Daily Mail, 08.03.2021 | |
Concerns about testing | Testing induced anxiety | Some parents believed that taking a test would cause their child anxiety. In some cases, it was the parents who were experiencing anxiety in place of their child. | My son is having a panic as he’s just found out that he will have to have a COVID test at school. His worry is that taking a throat swab will make him gag and he has a real fear of being sick. Mumsnet, 03.03.2021 In fact we have had more issues the other way - the child wants to be tested but the parents haven’t sent the consent in. Mumsnet, 03.03.2021 |
Children with existing health conditions | “I haven’t given consent for my children to be tested for the same reason. They both have Aspergers and both have said they don’t want to do the throat swab” (Mumsnet, 03.03.2021). “My daughters got autism and very worried about having this test” (The Mirror, 07.03.2021) “SEN guidelines to her school it is not mandatory and if a child shows distress in anyway they can NOT proceed. My son won’t even have his temperature taken unless it’s a non-touch thermometer so a test would send him into an absolute meltdown and people would get hurt” (The Mirror, 07.03.2021) | ||
Ability to conduct the test properly | The belief that children would struggle to conduct the test properly themselves, which could lead to false positive or false negative results. | Surely it depends if the test is done properly. I would imagine it is VERY accurate if done properly, but if you don’t want a positive Covid result you barely scrape, or get near, the throat or nose. Herein lies the problem surely. Daily Mail, 24.03.2021 “My worry is that these kids won’t do the test right and then we’ll be getting false results and sending these kids to school symptoms they think is unrelated to covid due to negative test results. My daughter had 2 negative covid tests with all the symptoms I just don’t trust this at all” (The Mirror, 07.03.2021). | |
Accuracy and safety of the tests | Anxiety about the accuracy of the tests in general, particularly around false positive results and the impact that would have on children’s education. | The tests return so many false positives … I feel for the kids as they are not even affected. Daily Express, 08.03.2021 “1 in 3 Lateral Flow tests are false & we all know the PCR tests are not fit for purpose” (The Mirror, 07.03.2021) | |
Implications about testing positive | Financial implications | Concern over the financial implications on the parents when a child tested positive. This was exacerbated by the belief the tests were not accurate. | The tests are not even reliable! Some of us haven’t got the time or money to sit on our bums all day self-isolating for 10/14 days because of a rubbish test. Daily Mail, 08.03.2021 |
Feeling blamed | Parents expressed feeling blame for their child’s positive test. In some cases, these feelings of blame were reinforced by official messaging; those positive cases were a result of not following guidance. In some cases, there was also concern that the schools testing policy would result in children being blamed for further lockdowns. | Did you do a rapid test before they went back or is it that they’re blaming you because you didn’t bother? Mumsnet, 10.03.2021 Unfortunately, a lot of information that was initially stated was that it was only people who broke the rules who caught Covid, or its only caught by people’s selfish behaviour etc. etc. So many people have clung onto this idea that they then blame others for simply getting a highly contagious disease. Mumsnet 10.03.2021 No doubt the kids will get the blame for the already planned lockdown. The Mirror, 07.03.2021 | |
Mistrust in the Government | Perception of testing as a way to maintain fear | The belief that the Government and media are using testing as a tool to control public behaviour through maintaining fear about COVID-19 transmission. | That was always the point… Test millions of school children every week, to inflate the number of ‘cases’ and maintain fear! The Telegraph, 31.03.2021 |
Perception of testing as a form of abuse | Equating regular asymptomatic testing of children to child abuse, including the belief children were being manipulated into the normalisation of taking regular tests. | I am a lawyer, this is abuse, battery, assault whatever you want to call it. Plain and simple, I would never have agreed to anything like this. My daughter is too important, and I’d never let someone assault her twice a week. Daily Mail, 06.03.2021 When they think they have to take a test to see if they can go to school or do they have to go home because they have a disease and could kill people, it seems to me these poor children are being groomed by the Government and their scientists for this new normal, I feel very sorry for them. The Mirror, 07.03.2021 | |
Facilitators to engaging in testing | |||
Desire to protect others | Protecting family | The view that regular testing of children was a way to protect children and the rest of the family from COVID-19. | It makes sense doesn’t it for the whole family’s piece of mind, at least you’re doing the right thing. The Mirror, 07.03.2021 |
Protecting the wider community | The view that regular testing of children would help protect the wider community. This included teaching children social responsibility. | Absolutely. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t be happy to know their child and other people’s safety is what matters here. The Mirror, 07.03.2021 My kids (many with special needs and managing tests no problem) and teachers and carers have all benefitted so that’s good enough for me The Guardian, 06.03.2021 You ask your children to do it protect other children and teachers from catching it from them, it’s called social responsibility. Mumsnet, 06.03.2021 The messages you send to your child when you refuse the get them tested: You think they can’t handle it (the vast majority of them can and you should teach them you believe they can) You teach them that social responsibility and personal responsibility is not important (it is) You teach them that you can protect them always from things they will find tough (you can’t) You teach them their teachers are not worth protecting (they are). Mumsnet, 03.03.2021 | |
Desire to return to normality | The belief that regularly testing children would help with a return to normal life, particularly enabling children to return to school for face—to-face lessons. | Really hope this plan works… it will be awful to have sick children and another lockdown. Daily Express, 06.03.2021 Children need to be back in school. Happy for my daughter to be tested, they need normality back in their young lives. Daily Mail, 06.03.2021 | |
Hearing others’ positive experiences | Sharing of positive experiences of testing helped reduce the concerns of other parents and encouraged them to consent to their children being tested. | Pleasantly surprised by how much of a non-event it’s all been. Mumsnet, 03.03.2021 He is very much calmer - as am I - so thank you all - this thread has been very helpful. Mumsnet, 03.03.2021 | |