Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's Activist Daughter Violet, 19, Begs U.N. To Bring Back Facemasks and Warns Covid-19 is Still a Major 'Threat'
Violet Affleck has appealed to the United Nations to bring back facemasks to curb the ongoing threat of Covid-19.
Sept. 24 2025, Published 11:54 a.m. ET
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's 19-year-old daughter has begged the United Nations to bring back facemarks to prevent another Covid-19 outbreak.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Yale student Violet, who has a post-viral health condition, made the emotional plea from behind a large face mask and glasses in New York City on Tuesday.
Young Activist
Violet, appearing here attending a city board meeting in L.A. last year, wore a facemask and goggles throughout.
She told the U.N. the world has dropped masks far too quickly and warned Covid still presents a danger.
Violet said: "It is neglect of the highest order to look children in the eyes and say: 'We knew how to protect you, and we didn't do it.'
"For adults, the relentless beat of 'back to normal', ignoring, downplaying, and concealing both the prevalence of airborne transmission and the threat of Long Covid manifested in a series of choices."
She added that "our present is being stolen right in front of our eyes".
Mask Campaigner
Violet, here with mom Jennifer Garner, says filtered air is a 'human right.'
Violet insisted wearing face masks and other protective kit is vital to clean living, and appeared as part of the Healthy Indoor Air event.
She wrapped up by declaring that filtered air is a "human right" — and should be available as freely as filtered water.
Violet added: "We can create clean air infrastructure that is so ubiquitous and so obviously necessary, tomorrow’s children don’t even know why we need it."
The student, whose Hollywood parents divorced in 2015, has taken the stand on her mask plight before.
Last summer, she addressed a city board meeting in Los Angeles to slam the city's lack of mask regulations in hospitals.
In that speech, Violet opened up about her health issues after contracting a post-viral condition.
Post-Viral Condition
Yale student Violet has been battling a post-viral condition since 2019.
A clip from the meeting was shared on X, in which she says, while wearing a facemask: "Hi, Violet Affleck, Los Angeles resident, first-time voter. I'm 18. I contracted a post-viral condition in 2019.
"I'm O.K. now, but I saw first-hand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief."
She has also written for the Yale Global Health Review, covering her home city’s coordinated response to Covid-19 and issues related to climate change.
The young activist also uses fashion to express her political beliefs.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Violet's parents Ben Affleck and his ex-wife Garner have supported their daughter's campaign.
Last year, she was photographed wearing a mask and a black sweater adorned with a watermelon — sending a message of solidarity with Palestine.
The viral snap sparked a surge in demand for the shirt, made by a Chicago clothing company Wear the Peace, causing the company to have to hire extra staff.
A few months later, she was caught wearing a pink summer dress with a mask on, carrying a copy of The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide by Steven W. Thrasher.
The book examines global health inequality, in particular looking at "the racialisation, policing, and criminalisation of HIV."
