Tips for parents on dealing with war reportingHow to deal with current wars in the world?

Disturbing images and videos of devastation, suffering and violence regularly dominate the news. The recurring war in the Middle East or the ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine can be very distressing for children and young people. Such content can frighten and overwhelm young people. They therefore need support in dealing with war reporting.

How to deal with current wars in the world?

The current news situation is currently dominated by the war in the Middle East, in particular the conflict surrounding Iran and neighboring countries. Military attacks, rocket fire, people killed and injured are the subject of daily media coverage.

At the same time, an enormous number of images and videos from the war zones are circulating on social networks. Many images reflect actual wars, but countless images are outdated or AI-generated. Sometimes there are many rumors circulating about events because the situation on the ground is unclear and reporting is challenging under the given conditions.

This flood of information and false reports makes it difficult to distinguish between reliable news and false or manipulated content. Children and young people in particular come into contact with war stories via social media, messengers or conversations with friends. This gives rise to questions, uncertainties and fears.

It can be challenging for parents to deal with these news events. Therefore, actively accompany your child's media use, enter into an open conversation and help them to process and categorize what they see.

Ask questions: What is your child currently reading and seeing on social media about the war? What does he or she want to know? What questions and concerns does he or she have?

Tips for parents

  1. Watch selected reports together (see tip 4) and then talk to your child about the feelings and thoughts that arise. Take your child's concerns seriously.
  2. Pay more attention to media time-outs to recover from the flood of news. Agree rules and, above all, breaks for the use of social media and messenger groups.
  3. Discuss what reliable sources are. Point out false reports and manipulative posts, especially on social media. Because more and more AI-generated images and videos are spreading quickly. They may look real, but they are fake.
  4. Pay particular attention to age-appropriate information for younger children. Child-friendly information on the war in the Middle East can be found here, for example:

If you critically question information together with your children and talk about your feelings, they will be able to process stressful reports better. They will also feel less alone with their worries.

The klicksafe info sheet "How to deal with war?" shows parents what they should look out for on this topic and where children and young people can find age-appropriate information.