DO NEWS reports frighten your child? In one survey, nearly 40 percent of parents said that their children had been upset by something they saw in the news and that, as a result, the children had feared that a similar event would happen to them or their loved ones.

Why? One factor is that children often interpret the news differently from adults. For example, small children may believe that a tragedy that is broadcast repeatedly is really happening repeatedly.

A second factor is that daily reports of disturbing events can distort a child’s view of the world. True, we live in “critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Timothy 3:1) But repeated exposure to disturbing news reports can cause children to develop immobilizing fears. “Children who watch a lot of TV news tend to overestimate the prevalence of crime and may perceive the world to be a more dangerous place than it actually is,” observes the Kaiser Family Foundation.

If disturbing news reports are affecting your children, what can you do? Here are a few suggestions.