Parents should be aware that the news can be disturbing for children

By Christiane Loell Jun 23, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Hamburg - When children are confronted by graphic images reported in the news, parents should be present to talk with them about what is going on, but they don't always have to tell the entire story.

Major news stories in recent months such as the earthquake in Japan and its effect on the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and the E coli outbreak in Germany have been difficult enough for adults to comprehend, let alone children.

'The idea that children and youths should be distanced from terrible events in the world is obsolete. Images of daily news events are omnipresent,' said Maya Goetz, a teacher specializing in the media at an institute for youth and educational television in Munich. But parents want to know how the world should be explained to children without fuelling their fears.

'It is currently a great challenge for parents to provide an explanation in each case,' said Verena Weigand, an instructor at a Bavarian centre for new media specializing in child protection. On one hand the child's level of knowledge and ability to process a news story has to be considered, and on the other the way the child sees and hears the news.

'Youths often aren't informed about events from serious media outlets,' said Weigand. They often receive unbalanced information and are confronted with shocking images. 'Parents should talk with their children about current events such as the death of Bin Laden and ask them what they have heard.'

Children between 8 and 14 in particular are often upset and confused by events reported in the news.

'The younger ones often don't understand the background and want to hear reasons,' said Weigand. 'Children's television channels and other media designed for children are a good way to have the events explained to children.'

But some adults have confidence in the ability of young school children to understand and allow them to watch the evening news. When this is the case, the children should not be sent directly to bed afterward, leaving them alone with the information. 'That is too challenging for that age group,' said Weigand.

Among children under 8 it is most difficult when they see pictures of events such as wars and natural disasters. Children in this age group react most strongly to images.

'The news often shows pictures of children to appeal to the viewer's emotions. Children identify with these other children and transfer their suffering or predicament to themselves,' said Weigand.

Explanations about why nuclear power exists are helpful when talking about things like the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Parents can add that things such as that happen very rarely. Andreas Krueger, a child psychotherapist and expert in dreams from Hamburg, urges adults to use honest explanations.

'You shouldn't calm children down on the basis of false information,' he said. At the same time, facts should be dispensed in careful amounts to avoid deluging children with too much information. Krueger believes children under the age of 8 should be protected from seeing frightening images as much as possible. As they get older they begin to understand the world's problems and parents can respond when their children reach that stage.

Krueger believes that a healthy child is hardly ever badly traumatized by images in the news. However, children who have been sensitized and traumatized by experiencing a lot of suffering in the early years of their lives could be more susceptible.