We’re living in a time where news spreads like wildfire over social media platforms and there’s very little that can be done to shield us from the world’s atrocities. The week of February 21st has been a unique, interesting, and scary one as Russia’s war efforts scaled up to a full-on attack on Ukraine. Why I say interesting is because it is the first time where I am noticing the power of social media during an attack from a major power. Thursday morning, friends of mine were sending videos taking place in Ukraine that were posted on Twitter and Reddit and I watched all of them in disbelief. This easy access to videos of missiles being shot at the fastest velocity I’ve ever seen or a civilian getting crushed by a Russian tank while driving a car was overwhelming and saddening (the posts were later taken down by the social media platform).
My reactions made me wonder what it’s like to be a child consuming this. I saw an article on Today.com called “Kids are watching war on social media: Here’s what parents should know (and do)” describing how parents should handle the constant barrage of war videos, photos, information, and misinformation on the internet kids are most likely seeing. The article immediately jumped out to me because I didn’t grow up with social media. I first downloaded Facebook at the age of 13 when there were only photos being posted to the platform. Twitter was downloaded later down the line. It must be overwhelming for children to see this horrific content, either scaring them or desensitizing them to the terrible and deadly events that take place in our world.
The article I found outlined 6 steps to work with your child about understanding social media, and “help [your] kids make sense of the sometimes graphic, violent and upsetting images they may be seeing” (Hanson). The steps are listed:
- Scroll wth your kids
- Ask ‘curiosity questions’
- Keep the conversation going
- ‘Show me what’s scary’
- Teach about misinformation
- You’re the expert on your child, your values
The idea of scrolling with your kids allows you to break the “reactive parenting” mold, understanding who your children follow, while not shielding them from the content posted online. Chances are, they will see it anyway. Asking curiosity questions allows you to understand what your kids already know, whether they learned it in school or online. Keeping the conversation going will allow you to continue to have open dialogue about what your children know and how they are reacting to the information. Being shown what’s scary provides an opportunity to continue to understand your child’s emotions surrounding an event. As a parent, you can do your best to hide what scares your child through settings on the platform. Teaching about misinformation may be the most important part as your raise your child in this age of social media. Your child understanding to check sources and reliable sites for information before drawing a conclusion will aid in stopping the spread of misinformation for years to come. Finally, you are an expert on your child and you are the person that knows how to handle situations like this the best. Handle the exposure of war-related or potentially scary content in a way that aligns with your values and you feel is best for your child.
In this digital age we are living in, parents have a brand new set of responsibilities. It’s a struggle for me, as a 26-year-old grad student, to digest this scary content in a way that doesn’t sicken me. I can’t imagine how parents of young children are currently handling the social media usage of their children. If you are a parent of a young child with social media access, please comment below and share your stories, methods, and tips about how you are handling Ukraine and Russia content!
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U Penn Social Book 
I think you would hear a huge and collective, “amen” among parents if your post were to go viral. It must be incredibly challenging as to how to manage and allow children, particularly of a young age, to see the horrors of war where such graphic depictions of violence and death are shown, as they are now in Ukraine. You are one of several students who are posting about social media and the Russian invasion of Ukraine so it is worthwhile to discuss in class. Great post and hugely relevant and timely.