CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Children across the Coastal Bend are encountering serious world events through social media, leading to anxiety and confusion for some young users.
"I feel nervous mainly because I don't know what's going to happen," said Makiah Husbye, 11.
With news available on multiple platforms simultaneously, children are processing complex information at younger ages than previous generations.
"I was just scrolling on TikTok and there was a person talking about the nuke and everything," said Addyson Dickey, 12.
Some parents maintain strict controls over their children's access to social media and news content.
"I have a tablet so it has parent control so I can't get many apps and when I do get apps my mom has to put in a password," said Kora Holstine, 10.
For children with greater access, distinguishing between credible information and misinformation becomes challenging.
"First I thought it was fake until I realized it was all over the news too so I'm like oh wait this is not fake this is actually serious," said Dickey.
Parents have varying approaches to discussing current events with their children, with many believing there's no universal age when children should be exposed to serious news.
"My kids are probably a little too young (seven, five and three) to even have that conversation so we probably won't even be talking to them about what's going on right now," said mom of three Keri Mendoza.
When children want to discuss troubling news but need more comfortablity, 12-year-old Jack Burns suggests seeking help from school resources.
"Probably counselors. Because they help you with your feelings to keep you not scared or nervous or stressed," Burns said.
Bill Hoelscher, CEO of Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, recommends professional counseling for children experiencing significant anxiety from news exposure.
"Professional counselors can help people build skills on how to manage their anxiety better and give them other ways to cope instead of hyperfixating and stressing over an area that's negative," Hoelscher said.
Hoelscher emphasizes the importance of parents helping children distinguish fact from fiction.
"Help explain it, alleviate some of those concerns and talk about what's really going on so we can get them back to what's really important which is being a kid," Hoelscher said.
The Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation offers mental health services for children feeling overwhelmed by news content. You can find what's available by clicking here. They provide services to those insured and uninsured based on a sliding scale.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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