Although the specific age at which a child is capable of understanding and dealing with what she sees on the news depends on the maturity of the individual child, psychologists say most youngsters under 9 can’t comprehend the complexity or violence of TV news. At nine, a child can reliably distinguish between reality and fantasy.
If it’s unavoidable that your children will see the TV news when you are watching it, experts say you should be prepared to offer a running commentary. In addition, you may want to consider skipping local coverage when your child is around. Local news literally puts violence in your child’s background. Local stations also are likely to televise the most frightening images over and over again. In one news, there is this girl was kidnapped from her bedroom, stations in the region repeatedly showed scenes of the dead child’s body, often splitting the screen with a home video of the girl laughing and dancing. It was a particularly fearsome scenario for a child. If you’re not safe at home with your mother in the next room in your own house, where are you safe?
Also be aware that news stories involving other children are going to have the most impact. Kids will react much more strongly to those stories because it verifies for them that these things happen to little kids. It confirms all their worst fears.
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