When the world feels unsafe: how to talk to children about war
Children experience war without filters — through alarms, anxious adults, and random bits of information from screens. The constant stream of news and social media can harm a child’s mental health more deeply than a physical explosion. Frontliner offers practical guidance on how to talk to your child about war, help them cope with fear, and create a sense of safety. In times of crisis, your calm presence and honest words are the most powerful support you can give.
For a child, a siren isn’t just a sound — it’s the memory of a parent’s expression, the darkness of a shelter, the silence between heartbeats. Adults may learn to survive in wartime, but children must learn to live — in a reality where even fairy tales end with missile strikes. Parents, teachers, and caregivers are the ones shaping that reality.
In the chaos of war, information becomes another weapon. Adults can turn off the news or scroll past a disturbing post. Children can’t. They absorb everything — every headline, every comment — as part of their understanding of whether the world is safe or not.
Honest but Calm: How to Talk to Children About War
The worst mistake is silence. When a child sees an explosion and an adult shrugs it off, their imagination fills in the blanks — often with something far more terrifying.
There’s no need for lectures. Speak simply, sincerely, and without unnecessary details. Children have the right to know what’s happening, but that information needs to be age-appropriate — no graphic descriptions, no horror. Focus on this: there is danger, but there are also people protecting us. The siren is a warning, not a death sentence.
Your reaction becomes your child’s model. If you panic, they will too. If you stay calm and explain things clearly, they’ll feel more grounded.
When Fear Is Bigger Than Words: Emotional Support
Fear of the dark, sirens, or explosions isn’t drama — it’s a real signal of distress. Don’t brush it off with “It’s nothing.” Instead, help your child process it:
- Let them speak their fears aloud
- Suggest drawing the “monster” or fear and then defeating it with crayons
- Create a safety ritual — like a hug, a calming phrase, or a flashlight during sirens
- Give them something to do — for example, packing an “emergency backpack” together
Children don’t need a hero. They need a steady, emotionally present adult.
Information Hygiene: Protecting Kids from Toxic Content
It’s just as important to shield children from background noise and unfiltered media. A TV constantly blaring, TikTok reels switching between memes and war footage, unsupervised YouTube — these create a toxic mental environment. To reduce harm:
- Turn off the news when children are nearby
- Block channels with violent or unmoderated content
- Watch content together and discuss what you see
- Choose programs that promote creativity, play, and a sense of normalcy
Information hygiene doesn’t mean isolating kids from reality — it means guiding them through it.
Being Present Means More Than Words
During war, children don’t just grow up — they build their foundation of trust. If their fears are dismissed or ignored, they may stop trusting the world — and themselves. But if someone stays close, speaks the truth calmly, and remains emotionally available, even war won’t break them.
The adult’s job isn’t to pretend everything’s fine or to dramatize the situation. It’s to show up, explain, and offer support — even when they’re scared too.
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Created with the support of the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine and Amediastiftelsen as part of the Regional Media Support Hub project. The authors’ views do not necessarily coincide with the official position of the partners.
