GREENSBORO, N.C. — Images of Hamas attacks on Israel are flooding news reports and social media. As parents, talking about war and the reasons for the attack are hard conversations to have. Now, trying to limit what your kids see can be more of a challenge because many kids have their own phones or access to social media on their friends’ phones.
Blanca Cobb, who has a master’s degree in psychology, is helping parents start those hard conversations. The right idea could be to limit your child’s access to social media and to handle if they’ve seen images and videos.
Question 1:
Why should parents consider monitoring or limiting their child’s access to social media right now?
The images in photos and videos of the attacks on innocent people and hostages in Israel are difficult to process and can leave children shocked and traumatized. Once seen, you can’t unsee the atrocities, which means that the visual image can stick with a child for a long time.
Question 2:
How can seeing the images and videos impact children’s emotional health?
The images of brutality can bring up a variety of emotions from sadness to anger to fear. It can be hard for children to understand the reasons why this could have happened and process their emotions. Talking to children about war and its impact is different than seeing the impact.
Question 3:
What if a child has already seen images? What should a parent do?
If your child has seen any images or video of the atrocities that have happened in Israel, then it’s important to talk with them about what they saw. Answer any questions. And if you don’t know the answer then it’s okay. You can tell them that you’re sure and need time to think about it or find the answer, but you’ll get back to them. Explain why it’s important not to see the photos and videos. And help them process their feelings. It could be helpful for you to share your feelings as well.
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