Why Is News Important for Children?

Authored by Kevinder Singh, age 15

Sharing current affairs with children has been a topic of discussion for quite some time. Let’s read what Kevinder has to say about it.

There have been several major events in recent years that have caused a mass spread of depression, stress and anxiety. Recent studies have said that there have been cases reported of children having stress and anxiety issues which were completely unexpected.

The main thing which is being blamed is the speed of the spread of information, be it false or absolute truth. As even children have access to social media nowadays, it is quite obvious how they get their information. But, this does not mean that children should not be told about recent affairs.

Learning about recent affairs helps children know:

• the current state of mind of the people around us which can help in strengthening the bonds between communities
• recent laws being passed by the government, which can really be helpful, as, if the child does not know about laws of the society it will surely lead to the occurring of unexpected crimes.
• not to build up a sense of hopelessness or hate towards the people of other communities or the people of the community that the child is part of.

The news that is received by the child should be filtered or supervised by the parents or the people in charge of the child. But, this is not to say that the child should be fed only the positive news, he should also be told about the negatives happening in the world. If the child grows up living in a fool’s paradise, then facing the real world will be one of the hardest things to do for him. (emphasis added)

But, if it becomes noticeable that the child is becoming affected by the news then proper love, care and affection should be given to them. If the child does not receive proper news or is being fed false information, then, once they grow up, they will understand all of the lies that had been fed to them, which would have a major negative effect on their state of mind. The misinformation they have been fed will make it difficult for them to fit in with other people.

In conclusion, what I mean to say is: NEWS is important for children, even if it is anxiety-inducing or depressing, as long as it comes from a credible source it should be provided to the children but it should also be accompanied by love and reassurance that things will be alright.

The author, Kevinder Singh, studies at St. John’s High School, Chandigarh and is aged 15 years. This essay was the winning entry submitted as a part of Newsahoot’s Essay Writing Competition. Images are inserted by Newsahoot.