As in many other countries around the world, South African children are bombarded by bad news – often concerning violent behaviours. In spite of parents trying to shield them from media coverage, it is virtually impossible to hide the fact that the larger world is a dangerous place. The information they are getting is very scary indeed.
Parents and caregivers are faced with the dilemma of wondering how to speak to their children about the unspeakable. How can adults help children feel safe when daily tragedies are broadcasted?
Nicole Martins and Erica Scharrer are experts who specialize in children and media. They have extensively studied children’s views of and responses to violence in the media. Their research findings and those of other scholars offer insights into how news can contribute to children’s fears and on how to help children cope. The following is taken from an article in The Conversation.
Surrounded by news and information
News channels on TV and radio make it likely that that children will come across disturbing news content. For some youngsters, this exposure is deliberate. Teenagers report that they find it important to follow current events. And more than half of this age group get their news from social media.
Children under 12 show little interest in the news, yet many still encounter it. Young children’s news exposure is almost always accidental, either through background television viewing or through family discussions of current events.
No matter how much parents or caregivers try to shield children, then, they are likely to come upon the news.
The news as a catalyst for fear
Several studies have examined children’s fear responses to news. Six months after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Boston-area parents reported that children who viewed more news coverage on the day of the attack were more likely to display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, have behaviour problems and show hyperactivity and/or inattention than children who watched less news.
More recently, an international survey of over 4,000 9-to-13-year-olds from 42 countries found that over half of the children were scared by news stories about the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to talk with kids about tragedies and traumatic events.
Fear and anxiety can also be spurred by exposure to news events that are more commonplace. News stories that children most frequently mentioned as being scary involved natural disasters, kidnappings and burglaries. The mass shootings in the US have led to children believing that their school and society at large were dangerous.
Whether catastrophic or common, fear reactions endure. A survey of college students found that 50% of them could remember a specific news story that they had seen during childhood that frightened, worried or upset them. The effects included feeling scared and being unable to sleep. And 7% of participants said they were still frightened of that event at their present college age.
Age of the child matters
Clearly, media can frighten children and adolescents. But decades of research show that fright-inducing content does not affect all children the same way. Young children demonstrate what researchers call “perceptual dependence,” which means that they react to stimuli in terms of what those stimuli look, sound or feel like.
This often comes as a surprise to parents, but it helps explain why preschoolers may cry when they see movie characters like the Grinch or E.T. Preschool children are more likely to be frightened by something that looks scary but is actually harmless than by something that looks attractive but is truly harmful.
As children mature, they develop the capacity to be frightened by abstract threats. Studies of children’s reactions to news coverage of wars show that although children of all ages are affected, younger kids respond mainly to the visual aspects of coverage such as homes torn apart, whereas older children are more responsive to abstract aspects such as fears that the conflict will spread.
How to help children cope
Just as age affects how children absorb the news, age also influences which strategies are most effective in helping children cope. Noncognitive strategies typically involve avoidance or distraction. Closing one’s eyes, holding on to an attachment object, leaving the room or avoiding news altogether are examples. These strategies work best with younger children.
Cognitive strategies require the child to think about whatever is frightening them in a different way, with an adult often providing a verbal explanation to help. These strategies work best with older children. When dealing with depictions of fantasy, for example, a cognitive strategy that is quite effective is reminding children that what they see “is not real.”
Unfortunately, daily killings and violent events are real. In these cases, the adult can emphasize that the news event is over, that it was far away or that such events are rare. Providing a reassuring message—that the child is safe and loved – also helps.
Mental health experts say parents need to initiate age-appropriate conversations with their children about mass shootings.
Recommendations for the youngest kids
For kids under 7, it is critical to limit exposure to the news. Watching a tragedy on the news can include graphic images and sounds. Very young children will not understand that what they see are replays of the same event and not another tragedy happening again.
Reassure the child. Kids at this age are most worried about their personal safety. It’s important to make them feel safe, even when the adults themselves are worried, as studies show that fear is contagious.
Distraction is also helpful. Although it is important to listen and not downplay concerns, doing something fun together that takes a child’s mind off what is happening can go a long way.
How to help kids in the 8–12 range
For childrenbetween the ages of 8 and 12, it is still important to limit exposure. Admittedly this is more challenging as children age. But making a concerted effort to turn off the news is helpful, especially if the child is sensitive.
Talk about news. If children go online, try to go with them. Consider setting URLs to open to non-news portals.
Be available for conversation. Ask children about what they know. Correct any misconceptions with facts. Listen carefully and ask what questions they have, and then respond honestly with a focus on the basics. Reassure children that they’re safe and that it is OK to feel upset.
Do something to help. Consider ways to help survivors and their loved ones.
Dialing in with teens’ needs
When it comes to teens, it is critically important to check in. In all likelihood, teens learn of news events independent of their parents. But parents and caregivers should offer to talk with them to get a sense of what they know about the situation. This also gives the adult an opportunity to listen to underlying fears and offer insights. Again, try to address concerns without dismissing or minimizing them.
Help teens develop news literacy. If parents or caregivers disagree with how a news event is portrayed in the media, they should discuss this with their child. Emphasizing that there can be misinformation, repetition or exaggeration might help teens put tragic events into a wider perspective.
As in many other countries around the world, South African children are bombarded by bad news – often concerning violent behaviours. In spite of parents trying to shield them from media coverage, it is virtually impossible to hide the fact that the larger world is a dangerous place. The information they are getting is very scary indeed.
Parents and caregivers are faced with the dilemma of wondering how to speak to their children about the unspeakable. How can adults help children feel safe when daily tragedies are broadcasted?
Nicole Martins and Erica Scharrer are experts who specialize in children and media. They have extensively studied children’s views of and responses to violence in the media. Their research findings and those of other scholars offer insights into how news can contribute to children’s fears and on how to help children cope. The following is taken from an article in The Conversation.
Surrounded by news and information
News channels on TV and radio make it likely that that children will come across disturbing news content. For some youngsters, this exposure is deliberate. Teenagers report that they find it important to follow current events. And more than half of this age group get their news from social media.
Children under 12 show little interest in the news, yet many still encounter it. Young children’s news exposure is almost always accidental, either through background television viewing or through family discussions of current events.
No matter how much parents or caregivers try to shield children, then, they are likely to come upon the news.
The news as a catalyst for fear
Several studies have examined children’s fear responses to news. Six months after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Boston-area parents reported that children who viewed more news coverage on the day of the attack were more likely to display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, have behaviour problems and show hyperactivity and/or inattention than children who watched less news.
More recently, an international survey of over 4,000 9-to-13-year-olds from 42 countries found that over half of the children were scared by news stories about the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to talk with kids about tragedies and traumatic events.
Fear and anxiety can also be spurred by exposure to news events that are more commonplace. News stories that children most frequently mentioned as being scary involved natural disasters, kidnappings and burglaries. The mass shootings in the US have led to children believing that their school and society at large were dangerous.
Whether catastrophic or common, fear reactions endure. A survey of college students found that 50% of them could remember a specific news story that they had seen during childhood that frightened, worried or upset them. The effects included feeling scared and being unable to sleep. And 7% of participants said they were still frightened of that event at their present college age.
Age of the child matters
Clearly, media can frighten children and adolescents. But decades of research show that fright-inducing content does not affect all children the same way. Young children demonstrate what researchers call “perceptual dependence,” which means that they react to stimuli in terms of what those stimuli look, sound or feel like.
This often comes as a surprise to parents, but it helps explain why preschoolers may cry when they see movie characters like the Grinch or E.T. Preschool children are more likely to be frightened by something that looks scary but is actually harmless than by something that looks attractive but is truly harmful.
As children mature, they develop the capacity to be frightened by abstract threats. Studies of children’s reactions to news coverage of wars show that although children of all ages are affected, younger kids respond mainly to the visual aspects of coverage such as homes torn apart, whereas older children are more responsive to abstract aspects such as fears that the conflict will spread.
How to help children cope
Just as age affects how children absorb the news, age also influences which strategies are most effective in helping children cope. Noncognitive strategies typically involve avoidance or distraction. Closing one’s eyes, holding on to an attachment object, leaving the room or avoiding news altogether are examples. These strategies work best with younger children.
Cognitive strategies require the child to think about whatever is frightening them in a different way, with an adult often providing a verbal explanation to help. These strategies work best with older children. When dealing with depictions of fantasy, for example, a cognitive strategy that is quite effective is reminding children that what they see “is not real.”
Unfortunately, daily killings and violent events are real. In these cases, the adult can emphasize that the news event is over, that it was far away or that such events are rare. Providing a reassuring message—that the child is safe and loved – also helps.
Mental health experts say parents need to initiate age-appropriate conversations with their children about mass shootings.
Recommendations for the youngest kids
For kids under 7, it is critical to limit exposure to the news. Watching a tragedy on the news can include graphic images and sounds. Very young children will not understand that what they see are replays of the same event and not another tragedy happening again.
Reassure the child. Kids at this age are most worried about their personal safety. It’s important to make them feel safe, even when the adults themselves are worried, as studies show that fear is contagious.
Distraction is also helpful. Although it is important to listen and not downplay concerns, doing something fun together that takes a child’s mind off what is happening can go a long way.
How to help kids in the 8–12 range
For childrenbetween the ages of 8 and 12, it is still important to limit exposure. Admittedly this is more challenging as children age. But making a concerted effort to turn off the news is helpful, especially if the child is sensitive.
Talk about news. If children go online, try to go with them. Consider setting URLs to open to non-news portals.
Be available for conversation. Ask children about what they know. Correct any misconceptions with facts. Listen carefully and ask what questions they have, and then respond honestly with a focus on the basics. Reassure children that they’re safe and that it is OK to feel upset.
Do something to help. Consider ways to help survivors and their loved ones.
Dialing in with teens’ needs
When it comes to teens, it is critically important to check in. In all likelihood, teens learn of news events independent of their parents. But parents and caregivers should offer to talk with them to get a sense of what they know about the situation. This also gives the adult an opportunity to listen to underlying fears and offer insights. Again, try to address concerns without dismissing or minimizing them.
Help teens develop news literacy. If parents or caregivers disagree with how a news event is portrayed in the media, they should discuss this with their child. Emphasizing that there can be misinformation, repetition or exaggeration might help teens put tragic events into a wider perspective.
Martin Doherty, writing for The Conversation, says that at the age of about four, children reach important milestones in brain development.
One of these is a huge improvement in understanding others’ thoughts and feelings. This is the start of empathy. Another is in spatial thinking—understanding how objects are positioned and related. This is the beginning of the ability to read maps.
Martin and his colleague, Catherine Sayer, conducted a study with 175 two to five-year-olds to explore how children are able to use scale models to figure out where something is in the real world. At about four, children are able to use a scale model of a room to work out where something is. We thought that this might result from children’s understanding of how one thing can represent something else. But we actually found that four-year-olds’ ability to use scale models came from their spatial abilities.
At the same age, children start to understand that someone’s behaviour is due to what that person believes, not necessarily what is really the case. This has interesting consequences.
If you’ve played hide-and-seek with young children, you may have noticed that they aren’t always very good at it. They love the ritual of looking in all the wrong places first, but beforehand they may tell you where they are going to hide, hide in the same place every time, or not be especially hidden.
After their fourth birthday, they get much better at hide and seek. They understand that the seeker looks in the wrong places because they don’t know where the hider is.
At about three to four children also start to tell lies. They realize they can make someone believe something that isn’t true.
Understanding symbols
Martin’s earlier research with fellow psychologist Josef Perner suggests that four-year-olds don’t just start to understand how others’ minds work. Figuring this out is part of the development of an understanding of “representation”—that symbols, like thoughts, words, or pictures, can be used to stand for something else.
Children start to think about how words relate to objects. This means, for instance, knowing that “animal” can refer to something you already have a name for, such as “rabbit”. This might help children learn the new word.
Their ability to use a understand the components of pictures also improves around this age. Very young children use a lot of trial and error to complete a jigsaw, picking up random pieces to see if they fit. By the time they are about four years old, they start to use the picture as a guide, trying to connect lines and match bits of colour, while checking the guide picture on the box lid.
Developmental experiments
Another ability children develop at around four is using scale models. A classic set of developmental experiments involved a model of a regular household room. The real room had typical furniture—sofa, table, cupboard and so on—and the model had miniature versions laid out in the same way.
Children were shown where something was hidden in the model and told to find an object hidden in “the same place” in the room. Children of around four can find the object using the identical layouts. If shown a sticker under a particular chair in the model room, for example, they can go straight to the “same” chair in the other room. This is the fundamental understanding required to read maps.
Adults see scale models and maps as representations. Maps represent a town or a country. A scale model of, say, the Eiffel Tower represents the real thing. At first, Martin suspected children’s ability to use scale models is more evidence of understanding representation at this age.
He was wrong. Instead, the researchers found that this ability is based on a development in children’s spatial abilities that also occurs at about four. This is the ability to think about spaces and where objects are within them. Spatial abilities help with maths skills, and good spatial ability is linked to an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Their experiment was simple. They compared the model room task with a test of understanding how representation works. The two abilities develop around the same age, but they found they were not related. Children who could do one task couldn’t necessarily do the other.
They also had a test of purely spatial ability. Children who passed the model room task also passed the spatial task. So it looks like the model room task relied on children‘s spatial thinking.
They don’t yet know why two important but apparently unrelated abilities arise at the same time. Perhaps it’s related to changes in the growing brain at this interesting age.
Provided by The Conversation.
Image supplied by Freepik.