Counselling & Psychological Services
Bec Campey and Amy Newsom
How to help children and teens process distressing news coverage
The last two years have seen a global pandemic, natural disasters locally and overseas, and more recently, armed conflict in Eastern Europe. Our screens are filled with confronting images of combat, displacement, fear, loss and grief. Understanding and managing this can be particularly difficult for young children who are still learning about the world and their place in it.
Extensive news and social media coverage about these difficult local, domestic and world events may lead children to develop fears that these events could potentially happen either to themselves or to a loved one. The news can feel especially personal when it is close to home, such as the widespread flooding happening in NSW and the death of sporting icon Shane Warne.
Parents play an important role in helping children make sense of what they hear and see in a way that is age-appropriate, accurate, minimises anxiety and promotes hope.
Tips for helping your child or teen process distressing news coverage include:
- Find out how your child is feeling; Validating your child’s feelings will help to calm the emotional centre of their brain, allowing them to feel more safe and secure.
- Conversation skills: Avoid closed questions. Open questions allow for a more detailed response which helps you to better understand your child’s perspective on a situation. By encouraging your child to ask questions you can create a safe space to talk openly. Side-by-side conversations in the car, while walking the dog or doing the dishes can allow for more relaxed and open communication.
- Be aware of your own reactions and feelings; keep calm and provide reassurance. Be honest in your responses telling them only as much as they need to know. Where possible, focus on positive stories emerging from the events.
- Explain what's going on in an age-appropriate manner. If you don’t know the answer to a question, it’s ok not to know. Situations can change rapidly and there is new information almost constantly. Admitting “I don’t know the answer to that, but let’s see if we can find it out” provides an opportunity to share with your child about reputable sources of information.
- Tune out; Review your own media viewing. Choose to minimise your media exposure and be a critical viewer when you do. The news thrives on sensational headlines and is designed for adults. It is not developmentally appropriate for children. Try to stay updated without exposing your children to the 24-hour news cycle. If your child is watching, listening to, or reading the news, sit with them so you can help them to access the news with a critical eye, and be available to answer any questions or concerns they might have.
- Control the controllable. Can you help your child to focus on ways to connect with and help others instead of dwelling on things they have no control over?
For more information, click on the links below
Dealing with bad world news | The big issues | ReachOut Australia