In this day and age, children are exposed to violent and disturbing topics on the news. Reports on natural disasters, shootings and terrorist attacks can be confusing to a child, teaching them to view the world as a scary place. But there are benefits in raising children who are aware of what’s going on in the world.
Dr. Dan Marullo is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s of Alabama. He says whether parents should share current events with their child depends on the age and developmental level of the child.
“It definitely depends on the age of the child,”Dr. Marullo says.”Kids of different ages have different needs and different developmental levels. I think regardless of the age of the child, one thing to keep in mind is children learn how to cope with adversity by watching their parents.”
Dr. Marullo says the first thing for any parent to do is to check how they’re coping with the news or what’s going on around them. Parents should keep things in perspective and help children to understand that television has a way of shrinking the world and bringing it into our living rooms. A child watching a news story about an earthquake in California may lose sleep thinking the same thing could happen in Alabama.
Dr. Marullo says younger children, toddlers and preschoolers probably don’t need to see a lot of the bad things on television. “They would have a very hard time managing that so minimizing exposure would be important,”he says.
For school age children, the approach should be different. “For older children, they’re probably going to come across media on their own,”Dr. Marullo says. “It’s important for parents to have a dialogue with their child. Watch the media with them, watch the news with them. It certainly makes a great topic of conversation for dinner time. That way parents can monitor their child’s exposure but also answer their questions and model their own behavior.”
For parents of school age children, keep in mind a little exposure to adversity is beneficial. “The way we learn to deal with adversity is by experiencing adversity,”Dr. Marullo says. “That doesn’t mean we expose our children to everything, but a little exposure with good guidance from a parent is crucial for their healthy development.”
Parents may also want to talk to their child about what can be done to help in a tragic event. Children may gain a sense of control and feel more secure when they think of ways they can help those affected by the tragedy.
If a child seems overly anxious, parents should encourage a break from television. Read, play board games or go outside. Look for opportunities to bond as a family and put things in perspective.
