TV News Violence and Children
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From an early age, children are informed about the world around them. The sources for this worldly information take the form of parents, teachers, friends and the media. Though media such as television, radio, and the Internet can be a wonderful learning platform, it also needs to be filtered in order to protect the sensitive and formative minds of children from content that is inappropriate and potentially damaging.
TV News programming can be a good was of teaching children about the world around them and how it works. However, much of the content in news broadcasts can be quite disturbing to young minds. Events such as natural catastrophes, murder, terrorist attacks, school violence or sexual scandal can create confusion in a child’s mind than can develop into a deformed perception on society. A child may come to see the word as a confused and hostile environment.
The challenge facing parents is how protect their children from this information while at the same time not being overly protective.
Perhaps the best approach is to encourage an open discussion with your child. Communication between parents in children is vital for both helping children develop as well as keeping the bond between parents and children strong.
Some ideas to consider:
*Get your child used to reading publications appropriate for his/her age and to watch television programs of the same kind. These materials and programming typically are created with attention to the sensibilities of children.
*Watch news programming with your child and answer any questions the may arise during the broadcast.
*Discuss what your both have watched after the news program is over. This may occur immediately at the conclusion of the program or at a later time if the subject should arise. Address any concerns your child is exhibiting about the topic, particularly ones that deal with disturbing events. It’s never easy to discuss death and senseless violence with children, but it’s part of the world we all live in and how your child confronts these issues is an important part of his/her development.
*Take advantage of any learning opportunities that may arise. News stories concerning science and history are fantastic opportunities for both you and your child to learn more about a topic. Doing a Google search together on the Internet is a great way to uncover additional information on a topic and encourages investigative thinking in your child.
Of course there are some events and news stories that are too extreme or difficult for children to view. So don’t hesitate to just take control of the remote control and either change the channel or switch the TV off altogether. Sometimes it’s best to just change the subject and setting and go and do something fun together with your child.