Donald Trump: How to address avalanche of fear among kids after US election
Posted
We need to give children the tools to understand complex news events like the United States election — they need facts, context and hope, writes Saffron Howden.
#RIPworld was the first response I encountered — from an Australian child — to the election of Donald Trump.
It was the beginning of an avalanche of fear among kids.
They rushed home from school last Wednesday, asking if World War III was on the horizon.
They huddled around laptops and smartphones outside the school gates, scanning the latest exit polls.
By Thursday morning, seven-year-olds were predicting it would be a matter of hours before Hillary Clinton was thrown in jail.
Teenagers watched on as their social media feeds filled with prophecies of doom.
As editor of the national newspaper for kids, Crinkling News, I watched, alarmed, as our readers tried to grasp the consequences of Mr Trump's triumph.
"It's Trump [I literally cannot believe I just typed that]," one of our 14-year-old contributors said in an email to me.
No escaping news for kids
We can at least be under no illusion this is an apathetic generation.
They cannot get enough of international politics.
And these days, it is all at their fingertips — on their phones and iPads, home computers, in the classroom, the playground, travelling home on the bus or train.
There is almost no escape. The home is no longer a sanctuary from the world's ills for our children.
We fling the door wide open whenever we turn on a digital device.
They saw the same headlines and poll results the rest of us did: Hillary Clinton was likely to win the US presidential election and Mr Trump was at best a loose cannon, at worst a racist misogynist.
But strip away a lifetime of memories, knowledge and experience to cushion the unexpected blow of Mr Trump's victory and you are left with one thing — fear.
There is some evidence wars and big, geopolitical changes are causing anxiety in children.
Kids need more information, not less
Last month, UK children's charity NSPCC reported a sharp rise in demand for counselling for anxiety. Issues such as Brexit, the US election and the war in Syria were among the causes.
Reading that, parents could be forgiven for wanting to unplug their children from the world, but the opposite is true.
They need more information, not less.
They need the context we take for granted when we read or see surprising or shocking or depressing news.
Children are less likely to know there have been past US presidents whose election was ridiculed or feared. Despite this, the world is still here.
They have a more limited understanding of the separation of powers in US Government. Even with a Republican-dominated House and Senate, there are still checks and balances.
They need to know a multi-billion-dollar wall between Mexico and the US cannot be put up the moment Mr Trump walks into the Oval Office and sits at his desk.
They need to be reassured with knowledge and education. They need hope.
Secondly, they need to be empowered. Encourage them to ask questions and, with them, seek answers.
Borrow a history book from the local library or take them to the kids' section of the US Government website.
This does not need to be a political exercise in applauding one belief or party over another.
There are some straight facts out there which will do all the talking for you.
Let the kids form their own view about whether Mr Trump is a disaster, a powerful joke, or a leader who needs to be given the benefit of the doubt.
How to engage kids in news?
Ask children for their views. The more involved they are in the conversation, the more they feel they can help control the outcome.
Our newspaper asked kids around Australia this week what they would do if they were elected US president.
Their answers — innocent though they are — help strip away any post-election depression.
"I would probably make guns illegal because I feel like guns are becoming a big problem in America," Natasha, 8, said.
Eva, 9, would want to meet all her constituents: "I would host a huge family party so I could meet everyone and know who the people are. I would ask them what they like and need."
Ethan, 11, wanted to make sure everyone had a home and enough food.
And Avalon, 6, thought all people, rich and poor, deserved to be tucked in at night.
"I would buy kids loads of candy. I would buy poor people medicine, keep them warm and tuck them in at night," she said.
Kids do not need to be afraid of the world. They just need the right tools to understand it.
Hyperbolic headlines and gruesome images intended for adults will strip them of their innocence but leave them helpless when they need to process and interpret big changes.
Give them the power to fight their fear themselves.
Saffron Howden is the founding editor of Crinkling News — Australia's only national newspaper for kids. She was previously a journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald, the Daily Telegraph and AAP.
Topics: community-and-society, family-and-children, children, us-elections, world-politics, united-states, australia
