FOR RELEASE: September 2002

 

TITLE: TALKING WITH KIDS ABOUT THE NEWS

 

 

STILLWATER---As adults, we depend on “the news” as our primary source of information about the world we live in.  It is now delivered in our homes 24 hours a day.  The coverage can be overwhelming for adults, and it can be especially confusing and frightening for younger children.

 

Consider the opportunities children have to be exposed to the news.  Maybe you listen to news radio in the morning when you drive the kids to school.  Perhaps you read the newspaper at home…while you are reading an inside article, your child may be staring at the front headlines.  The evening news may be on the TV while they are doing their homework.  There may be a “newsflash” during their favorite sit-com.  News stories are all over the Internet.

 

Used properly, the news can teach children many positive things about the world.  Knowledge and understanding can teach kids a sense of belonging and social responsibility.  Reading the newspaper can develop language skills and healthy reading habits.

 

At the same time, the daily news can promote stereotypes, confuse, anger, and even frighten children.  By talking with our kids early and often about the stories and images they are exposed to by the news and other media, we can help them better understand the world around them.  This communication can be especially valuable when kids are exposed to tough issues like violence, sex, drugs and alcohol, death, disasters, and divorce.  Stories of kids as victims can be the most disturbing.  That is why it is so important to monitor the news your kids are exposed to.

 

10 Tips for Talking with Kids About News

  1. Explore the age appropriateness of the news you allow your children to see.
  2. Watch or read the news with your kids.
  3. Talk with them about what they see and hear.
  4. Share your feelings about the news you see.
  5. Discuss the difference between news and reality.
  6. Acknowledge your child’s fears and reassure them.
  7. Explore the facts with your child.
  8. Acknowledge that the news and world are very complex and some things are hard to understand.
  9. Select kid-friendly news sources for your child (such as Nick News on Nickelodeon or a local station committed to “family friendly” newscasts).
  10. Balance your child’s news diet by setting clear limits.

 

Internet Resources:

 

www.talkingwithkids.org

www.childrennow.org/media

www.nick.com

www.nytimes.com/learning

www.yahooligans.com/content/news

teacher.scholastic.com/newszone/index.asp

www.cbc4kids.ca

www.msnbc.com/local/pencilnews

www.scholastic.com

www.timeforkids.com

www.sikids.com/index.html

                                   

Adapted from:  Talking with Kids About Tough Issues, Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation

 

Prepared by:     Deborah L. Richardson, M.S.

Assistant Specialist

Child Development

OSU Cooperative

Extension Service

104 HES Bldg. Room 233

Stillwater, OK 74078    

405 744-6231

dlricha@okstate.edu