When Political Violence Becomes Kids’ Content

Key points

Continuous exposure intensifies kids’ fear, even from afar.

Without natural breaks, adults must now create space for recovery.

Caregiver mediation lowers stress and builds trust in kids.

When my students ask, “How do we explain what is going on to kids now?”, I think about the black-and-white TV in a living room versus a thousand high-definition screens in pockets. In the 1950s and '60s, families absorbed breaking news together—once, maybe twice a day—then moved away from the medium. Today, the news finds us, follows us, and auto-replays terrifying moments before a caregiver has even decided whether a child should see it. Worse, it is there without us being present to help kids process events. And many events are beginning to feel almost unprocessable.

The recent assassin