When bad news about wars, unrest, and accidents dominates social media and television screens, it generates various emotions—fear, anxiety, and anger—that affect everyone, especially children, who turn to their parents for a sense of safety and security.

Watching and hearing disturbing news doesn’t only cause fear and anxiety in children—it can leave a deeper psychological impact. It may even lead to a loss of trust in everything around them due to their emotional, cognitive, social, and psychological immaturity. Additionally, when a child follows the news alone without parental guidance or discussion, what they see or read across different platforms may result in ongoing stress, sleep disturbances, and troubling nightmares.

Therefore, in such turbulent times, it is crucial for parents to be fully aware and prepared to engage with their children, explain what’s happening in a simple, age-appropriate language, and help them understand the situation to prevent long-term psychological harm caused by distressing events and news.

Sharing information with children allows them to understand why their parents may be stressed. It also enables children to emotionally connect with their parents and protects them from feelings of guilt or anger that may arise from not understanding what’s going on—especially if they’re left to assume that they might somehow be the cause of their parents’ distress.

In these circumstances, it’s important to ask children how they’re feeling and what they’re thinking after hearing the news or being informed by their parents.

It’s equally important to focus on children’s emotions and reassure them that fear and anxiety are natural feelings for both children and adults—and that these emotions are temporary and will pass.

Paying attention to children’s exposure to media is essential. They should be shielded from watching disturbing news and painful scenes. Instead, use open dialogue and parental storytelling to explain what’s going on in a way that’s simplified and clear, so they don’t feel the urge to seek out information on their own.

Providing honest and simple explanations of current events, while avoiding false promises about things getting better just to comfort them, is key to supporting children during challenging times.