Television, News & Young Children

By Dr. Gayle Peterson

Printed in the Family Post: Spring Issue 2008

QUESTION: I am concerned that my two children, ages 2 and 4 could be frightened by what they hear in the news, on radio or television. There is so much reference to violence. How can I protect my children from overload of this kind?

ANSWER: The concept of danger is not new to young children. We teach our toddlers to stay out of streets and keep their hands away from the fire on the kitchen stove.

We even warn our children not to talk to “strangers” from an early age. Our children believe in their parents’ ability to keep them safe. They look to us for answers as well as protection.

But how can we explain senseless violence and tragedy to our children when we do not understand it ourselves? How do we protect our children from a flood of anxiety over the latest breaking news on the radio, or TV?

The good news is that parents are the filters through which our children process worldly experience. They will accept our comfort and our direction.

It is inevitable that our children will hear upsetting stories. But it is necessary to shield young children from overwhelming feelings of helplessness in the face of adversity of any kind. Safeguard your child from more bad news than they can handle at one time.

1. Do not make a habit of watching the news with your child present. Just as you would not allow your young child to watch a show depicting rape and murder, do not expose them to nightly news reports of violence. Turn your television off! Young children do not have the filters that adults have developed. They are defenseless to the assault on the senses that realistic violence presents, whether fact or fiction.

2. Consider limiting television viewing time and restricting violent or otherwise inappropriate content. Know what shows your child watches each day and make a point to view and discuss these programs together!

3. Do not over-use educational television for “babysitting” your preschooler. Although educational programs can benefit a child, they should not replace the person-toperson interaction young children need in order to develop socially, intellectually and physically. In fact, The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently taken a “no TV” stance for children under the age of two!

4. If your child is exposed to an upsetting news story, do your best to answer questions as truthfully as possible, but without unnecessary details. Monitor your child’s level of anxiety and help them cope by ending the conversation with stories and methods of successful protection or problem solving. For example, cases in which children have escaped abductors because they yelled, or did not go with a stranger who offered them candy or money, are also true stories!

Positive identification with a capable authority figure helps to protect a young child’s psyche from the fact of their very real vulnerability. This is what wanting to be the “fireman”, or “policeman” (or even Batman!) is all about. Aligning themselves with powerful, effective authority figures in a story with a positive outcome helps them feel if not invincible, at least safe.

Gayle Peterson, LCSW, PhD is in private practice in Grass Valley. She works with individuals and couples, and specializes in marital, parenting, and family transitions, including childbirth preparation and postpartum adjustment. She is the author of several books, and her articles on family relationships appear in professional journals and popular magazines. She has been in private practice for 25 years. Her free on-line family seminars and articles are available through her website: www.AskDrGayle.com. She is available for appointments and or consultation in Grass Valley at (530) 346-2534.