Tips for talking to your kids about the news

In recent years, the news has become increasingly pervasive. With the internet, 24-hour news channels, and social media, kids come across news stories pretty much everywhere. This, along with rampant misinformation masquerading as news, can be especially challenging. As the school librarian at St. Timothy’s School, I try to help my students develop the skills they need to sort through this kind of information and to determine the credibility of stories they might stumble upon. There is an academic goal behind these lessons, but there is also an emotional one. As a parent, I witness my own kids encounter news with the same anxiety that I felt in my youth and there are some strategies that I’ve learned in my roles as both librarian and parent that help guide these conversations. 

In an informational landscape dominated by headlines, tweets and news graphics, it can be easy to forget that they are not actually the whole story. As with most complicated issues, a news story cannot be accurately condensed into a few characters. Headlines often use exaggerated or dramatic language to attract the reader. This can be frightening if that’s as far you get.

Encourage your children to read the story to get the full context. Even better, read it with them, pointing out the parts that are less distressing or ways in which people are trying to address the situation. Modeling how taking the time to really understand the story can help alleviate worry will encourage them to stop and investigate before being immediately fearful.

I talk a lot about “filters” with my students. This is the part of your brain that sends an alert when you encounter information that seems exaggerated or heavily biased. It is important to encourage children to pay attention at times like this and investigate further.

Sometimes news stories are specifically designed to stoke strong emotions like fear or anger. There are times when these are appropriate reactions, but other times when these feelings are the product of manipulation. In moments where you aren’t certain, help your kids go to the source of the information itself. Modeling actions like reading through the initial report with them or watching a speech in its entirety, can often do a lot to put something in context and reduce fear and worry.

In every crisis or confusing time, there are experts leading the way to solutions. As a teacher, these are the people I encourage my students to seek out when looking for information. Take some time to help your child research people who are experts in the relevant fields (current or historical). Look up their credentials and read about how they’ve helped society navigate situations like this before. This is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how important it is to turn to experts in a field for guidance and maybe even give them some new role models in the process!

Adopting age-appropriate approaches to strategies like these can go a long way to helping kids build confidence in their own ability to sort through what they see in the news - or media in any form. The world will always be filled with stories that are confusing or worrisome, so staying in conversation with your child about what they see and modeling how to put this kind of information in context will help them build a tool kit that will last them a lifetime.