Reports on subjects such as natural disasters, war, terrorist activities or school violence can teach kids to view the world as a confusing, threatening or unfriendly place.
How can you deal with these disturbing stories and images? Talking to your child about what is watched or heard will help your child put frightening information into a more balanced and reasonable context.
News is real, unlike movies or entertainment programs. Depending on your child's age or maturity level, your child may not yet understand the distinctions between fact and fantasy. By the time a child reaches 7 or 8, however, what the child watches on TV can seem all too real.
For some youngsters, the vividness of a sensational news story can be internalized and transformed into something that might happen to them. A child watching a news story about a kidnapping might worry, "Could I be next? Could that happen to me?"
Natural disasters or stories of other types of devastation can be personalized in the same manner. A child in Nebraska, seeing news about the tsunami, might fear for his own family. TV has an effect of shrinking the world and bringing it into your own living room.
By concentrating on violent stories, television news can also promote a "mean-world" syndrome, which can give children a misrepresentation of what the world and society is actually like.
To calm children's fears about the news, parents should be prepared to deliver what psychologists call "calm, unequivocal, but limited information." This means delivering the truth, but only as much truth as the child needs to know. The key is to be as truthful, yet as inexplicit as you can be. There's no need to go into more detail than your child is interested in.
Although it's true that some things, like a natural disaster, can't be controlled, parents should still give children time to share their fears. Encourage your child to talk openly about what scares him.
Older children are less likely to accept an explanation at face value. Their budding skepticism about the news and how it's produced and sold might mask anxieties they have about the stories it covers. If an older child is bothered about a story, help your child cope with these fears. An adult's willingness to listen will send a powerful message.
Teens can also be encouraged to consider why a frightening or disturbing story was on the air: Was it to increase the program's ratings because of its sensational value or because it was truly newsworthy? In this way, a scary story can be turned into a worthwhile discussion about the role and mission of the news.
Keeping an eye on your child’s TV news habits can go a long way toward monitoring the content of what your child sees. Here are some additional tips.
- Recognize that news doesn't have to be driven by disturbing pictures. Public television programs, newspapers or news magazines specifically designed for children can be less upsetting ways of getting information to children.
- Discuss current events with your child on a regular basis. It's important to help kids think through stories they hear about. Ask questions: What do you think about these events? How do you think these things happen? These questions can encourage conversation about non-news topics as well.
- Put news stories in proper context. Showing that certain events are isolated or explaining how one event relates to another helps a child make better sense of what is heard. Broaden the discussion from a disturbing news item to a larger conversation. Use the story of a natural disaster as an opportunity to talk about philanthropy, cooperation, and the ability of people to cope with overwhelming hardship.
- Watch the news with your child to filter stories as your child watches them.
- Anticipate when guidance will be necessary and avoid shows that aren't appropriate for your child's age or level of development.
- If you're uncomfortable with the content of the news or it's inappropriate for your child's age, turn off the TV or radio.
