I was in the 4th grade when 9/11 occurred. The memory of that day is burned into my memory. I can vividly recall the buildings burning red and collapsing to the ground; Osama Bin Laden’s unemotional and indignant portrait; grown men and women crying, confused and overwhelmed; and, our President declaring war on a faraway country.
All of this I saw on TVs everywhere. My parents kept the news on 24/7, which I do not blame them. These were unprecedented times, and nobody knew how the world was changing and what was to come. However, the young children of this time were forever changed by the accessibility of the news and the intensity by which the events of this day were broadcast.
I cannot speak for all the young children of this era, but I grew up highly fearful of planes, skeptical of un-American ideals, weary of politicians, and anxious for the future. As I grew up, I became aware of the reason behind these fears, and after my graduation from the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, I concluded News and Media have a lot of influence on the mental health of young children. The news influenced my reaction and feelings toward 9/11 and the events that followed.
In the past few years, the world saw a pandemic, bipartisan battles in politics, nation-wide protests and riots, and now, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. All of this is being talked about in news channels and outlets. Furthermore, unlike 9/11 and the year 2001, we have much more than TV and radio to broadcast the news. We have an advanced world wide web, social media, podcasts, YouTube, and the traditional news platforms. All of these are easily accessible through the abundance of smartphones. These provide more opportunities for children to hear the news without proper assistance in navigating the information.
I do believe children should know the news. Not only do children have a right to current events, but their development can benefit from understanding these stories. However, there are better ways of addressing significant news than children causally hearing media from their rooms or from unreliable sources like Snapchat or TikTok.
Here are a few ways you can address the news and current events with your children in a healthy and educational way: (visit NPR to explore more ways to discuss the news with your children)
Limit the exposure to traumatic news: discussing the news at the appropriate time in a safe environment can limit the anxieties children suffer from hearing distressing events like mass shootings or war coverage.
Allow for open communication: provide children the opportunity to ask questions about what they heard and ask how they feel about it. Children will eventually hear news through peers, school, and social media, regardless of how hard you try to limit their exposure. As their caregivers, be the safe space they can turn to, to ask questions. Maybe over dinner, ask each family member what they learned today!
Provide facts and context behind significant events: Avoid personal biases and misconceptions. It is important for our children to grow their own opinions and beliefs. Of course, as caregivers, you shape these convictions, but to build confident and intelligent people, children need the space to grow their own ideals.
It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.”: Adults do not know all of the answers to the world’s problems. This is a hard and valuable lesson for children to learn. It’s okay to be humble and admit when you do not understand something. Again, open communication can allow for children to admit this to their loved ones and visa versa.
There is a book for that!: Finally, there are literally thousands of books to help guide children through current news and the feelings they create. If there is a particular event your child is concerned about or anxious about, find a book to help ease their worries. For example, “Your Life Matters” by Chris Singleton, is an empowering book on the value of African American children and Black lives. This can be a wonderful way of helping Black children understand their worth among all the hate speech they might hear. In addition, other races can benefit from “What Is: Black Lives Matter” by Who HQ and Lakita Wilson. This nonfiction book helps describe the BLM movement in an educational and lively way.
News and the Media can be overwhelming for any adult, and children are not the exception. Current events, good and bad, should be introduced to our young ones. However, there are safe and educational ways to do this. The processes listed above are just a few ways of introducing news and events to children. In this way, we can raise intellectual, aware, and informative people.
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