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Explaining Children's News Avoidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ming Ebbinkhuijsen1, Moniek Buijzen1,2, Rebecca de Leeuw1
1Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 11, 2022
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Media Psychology
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Investigates children's news avoidance, a growing concern among parents and educators.
- Examines the relationship between news consumption, emotional responses, and mitigation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Utilizes data from 510 children (aged 8-13) collected during the pandemic's first year.
Discussion:
- Higher news consumption correlated with less avoidance, while anxiety-related behaviors increased avoidance.
- Restrictive parental mediation amplified the link between news consumption and emotional responses.
- Reactive coping strategies did not reduce news avoidance; distancing even increased it.
Key Insights:
- Children's news avoidance is complex, influenced by consumption, emotions, and parental strategies.
- Certain parental mediation styles may inadvertently worsen children's emotional responses to news.
- Coping mechanisms like reactive strategies and distancing are ineffective against news avoidance.
Outlook:
- Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms driving and mitigating children's news avoidance.
- Developing targeted interventions to counteract news avoidance and protect children's well-being is crucial.
- Focus on effective strategies to help children cope with news-related anxiety and emotional distress.
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