Common Sense Helps Parents Deal With Terrorist Coverage

Common Sense Media, which helps kids deal with a media-centric world through program rating partnerships with media companies and other efforts, has released tips for parents and teachers on how to explain and manage children's access to news about the Brussels terrorist attack.

The advice varies from "turn it off" for the youngest to explain and be a willing ear for older kids.

"Kids don't have the ability to understand news events in context, and coverage of these tragedies are often too scary for young eyes," Common Sense said.

The group points out that kids now spend 6-9 hours per day with some form of media and that headlines, images and audio from the attacks are virtually inescapable.

To check out or download the tips, go here.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.