News alert! How Children are Affected by What They See and Read on the News

We all want our children to grow up with an awareness of the world around them. And this day and age of around-the- clock news channels that cover even the most trivial developments in great detail definitely makes it possible to keep on top of what’s going on at home and abroad.

With television, radio, publications, podcasts, and the Internet, our children have many ways to consume the news — both broadcasted and printed — but too much of a good thing can have negative consequences that we as parents need to be aware of.

What follows is a look at how children are affected by what they see and read on the news — and what we can do to ensure that they stay informed while not being overwhelmed.

Fears, Stress, & Anxiety

With news depicting natural disaster like hurricanes and earthquakes, violent events like protests and terrorist attacks, and financial turmoil like bankruptcies and foreclosures, there’s no wonder why children can be impacted negatively. How can we help children deal with fear, stress, and anxiety? First, we need to limit how much news — particularly the live, unfiltered variety — that our children are exposed to. Second, we have to do a better job of ensuring that what we allow our kids to view is appropriate to their age and maturity levels. Third, we must have an open, two-way discussion with our children so that we can help them to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.

Desensitization

According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, research demonstrates that children often act out what they see and hear on news broadcasts. So the regular flow of news reporting focusing on violence can encourage copycat crime and even desensitize children to aggressive and violent behavior. We can, fortunately, reduce the odds of these negative behaviors rearing their ugly heads by monitoring what our kids what, how much they watch, and when they watch. Implementing a screen-free time, to allow for family time, will bring about a healthy balance.

Exposure to Inappropriate Content

It goes without saying that not everything that is reported on the news or written up in print is appropriate for children. So exposure to inappropriate content is a definite concern that we need to be aware of. Again, we must take control and ensure that we limit how much news our children consume. There are lots of other things to read and watch, so we must ensure that our children don’t spend every waking hour watching the news.

This digital era is one where we are constantly being bombarded with breaking news of everything ranging from important to trivial, and this is something we can’t change. But what we can and should do is safeguard our children from the potentially negative consequences that can come from overexposure to what’s on the news.

Thank you again to Cassie Brewer on another amazing guest post from her!