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The Tips
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Y O U N G E R K I D S:
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Acknowledge the violence, but focus on the heroes. When your school-age child sees reports of violence on the news, he can become anxious or fearful, and may have trouble sleeping. To help prevent and address these effects, take time to talk about this frightening influence. Acknowledge that what happened, and listen to and affirm your child’s feelings about it (“I know, that is scary and upsetting”). If fitting, explain that it didn’t happen near home and that, even though it is reported many times (which can be confusing to kids), it only happened once. Then, help your child redirect his focus onto the heroes–like nurses, doctors, fireman, and volunteers–who helped make the situation better.
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O L D E R K I D S:
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Share your views. Enjoy sharing the YouTube videos, TV programs, or movies that your teen is viewing, and take the time to share your viewpoint as well. Think about challenges your teen will encounter during the coming years, like alcohol use and healthy relationships, and use media depictions of those topics to prompt casual but useful conversations. These conversations, as well as the pro-social media content you share with your teens–can shape your teen’s judgement and inspire success.
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