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AIBU?

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Original poster

School letting 8 year old watch newsround

421 replies

rhonyvsrhobh · 24/02/2022 20:06

I think that it is important for children to know what is happening in the world - to an extent.

My 8 year old, primary 4 daughter came home today very upset and worried as she had seen on Newsround which is shown at her school that Russia have invaded Ukraine. She has asked me several times if we were going to get 'hit'. I have tried to reassure her that it won't happen (what else can I say) and not to worry. She then asked me to swear on her life that we won't be affected by it. I said I couldn't swear on her life but not to worry, it won't happen.

She is very anxious and I just don't think something so serious should have been shown to 8 year old children. I feel so sorry for them, they've had covid and now this!

AIBU to contact the school about this or am I being precious?

OP posts:
Fizzgigg · 24/02/2022 20:47

To be honest I think a lot of adults could watch a bit more Newsround. There are often threads on here asking for people to explain what's going on with a major news story like this. Those posters could do worse than watching Newsround for a bit of an explainer

MalbecMakesMeHappy · 24/02/2022 20:52

I know mine watch newsround at school, so when they came home today i asked if they'd watched it today and if they had any questions about Ukraine, how they felt about it etc. I think newsround is great, and explains things at an age appropriate level. Also helps to open up discussions at home.

megletthesecond · 24/02/2022 20:52

Newshound is ideal for that age.

I still dip into it when there's something I don't understand at all.

Ff10n · 24/02/2022 20:52

I very much doubt that Newsround would have alluded to the possibility of people in Britain being at risk. That might have come from classmates who've heard snippets from other sources.

Neurodiversitydoctor · 24/02/2022 20:54

Knowing there a war going on in the world at 8 (or that some children are sexually abused for money as in another thread - NOT from Newsround) are not things that primary school children need to be aware of

I am sorry this is complete bollocks. During my primary years there was the miner's strike, as mentioned up thread the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, Chernobyl and those images of famine in Ethiopia. How could I have celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall if I didn't understand the cold war, how could you have explained live aid to me if I hadn't seen the footage from Ethiopia ? When Thatcher was outed in 1990 it meant so much more because I had lived through the miners strike. You do know that children might be weeks off their 12th birthday at the end of primary school? Hardly toddler's.

RedToothBrush · 24/02/2022 20:54

@Fizzgigg

To be honest I think a lot of adults could watch a bit more Newsround. There are often threads on here asking for people to explain what's going on with a major news story like this. Those posters could do worse than watching Newsround for a bit of an explainer
Agree.

Some posters on MN have shockingly bad understanding of the news.

torquewench · 24/02/2022 20:54

You're being very precious. How old are you? I was a child in the 70s/80s and watched John Cravens Newsround every night. Spent most of my childhood convinced we would be obliterated by nuclear armageddon (from the same foe as todays news 🤔) /starve to death due to famine/3 day week/miners strike etc.etc. There's a sword of Damocles over your head your entire life if you believe MSM.

audweb · 24/02/2022 20:55

I love that my nine year old watches it at school. We talk stuff over that she’s seen, and it’s been really helpful. It’s explains things appropriately. I remember being ten/eleven and terrified of the Iraq war (the first one) but we can’t hide things from our kids forever, so it’s better to have things explained clearly and sensibly and then you can talk it over it with them.

Darbs76 · 24/02/2022 20:55

She’s likely to hear about it in the playground so better she watches a source like newsround for the facts which she can then ask you questions about. It is worrying, for all ages but something like that can’t be kept from children as many children grow up in households where the news is on a lot (mine included)

Averyproperteaparty · 24/02/2022 20:56

Newsround is aimed at 8 year olds. I don’t see the problem.

VenusClapTrap · 24/02/2022 20:57

Ds (9) came home from school today asking lots of questions - they’d obviously been talking about it and he was clearly a bit worried. So Dh put the six o’clock news on and sat and cuddled him while they watched it together, and answered all his questions about what was going on and explained the vocabulary he hadn’t heard before.

He has gone up to bed much perkier and I can now hear him humming away happily to himself. I think children feel more anxious when they suspect that something bad is happening but they don’t understand it, or sense that things are being hidden from them.

User135792468 · 24/02/2022 20:59

I watched the one from today. I suggest you watch it now and you will realise you are being ridiculous. Take the time to explain the horrific events in a child friendly way to your child.

Benjispruce5 · 24/02/2022 21:01

Newsround is for children. We sometimes watch it at school if assembly isn’t happening.

Snoozer11 · 24/02/2022 21:01

@MermaidEyes

The 12 year old is in secondary school, they'll be well aware of world events, whether you approve of it or not.

Exactly. And if they're not being educated on world events by the news, mainstream media or trusted adults in their lives, then it really makes you question where they ARE getting the news from and just exactly what mangled version of it they're being presented with. I'm sure that's doing their anxiety the world of good.

As we've seen with covid, there are too many gullible fools who will take the word of drug addicts on Facebook as gospel while laughing at the advice of educated professionals.

There are NO circumstances where hiding people from world events is a good idea. Usually the newsreader gives warning if they're about to run a story on something that may be upsetting.

I agree with PP that more adults should be watching newsround.

NoWigNoWit · 24/02/2022 21:02

Can’t be arsed to name tag…of-course they’re talking about it at school. When he’s here I choose not to have the news on. What the fuck is wrong with that?

The amount of sanctimonious bullshit spouted on this thread. God forbid you choose to parent ever sooooo slightly differently to the herds of sheep.

The OP asked a question, and one of the first things to be said is (in true MN form) …precious. How is it precious to not want an 8 year old to see that shit Newround or not?

So no - I won’t be apologising.

Adults are scared too, just take a look at the many threads on here. Some of them will also choose to not watch the news. Are they ‘precious’ too?

Your child isn't anxious because of Newsround. I think you need to look a little closer to home.

The above is a personal favourite. Stating the bleeding obvious.

Fizbosshoes · 24/02/2022 21:02

My DC are older (12 and 15)
Older one spends at least half her free time scrolling on tik tok and told me his morning before I'd seen or heard anything that Russia had invaded Ukraine.
DS doesn't know what day of the week it is half the time and is fairly un-streetwise.
I've given them both some brief facts and said that at the moment only Russia and Ukraine are involved and that hopefully it can be resolved without escalating and involving other countries but it was uncertain what might happen. I mainly said it because a) DD has social media and all sorts can be reported or dressed up as news and b) dS is away with the fairies half the time, but could be influenced my school mates saying its the beginning of WW3.

Eekkeed · 24/02/2022 21:02

People are really going to raise their kids to be complete anxious messes if they shelter them to this extent. It’s reality and newsround is aimed at children. They’ll hear about it anyway and it’s best they have actual facts

Needdoughnuts · 24/02/2022 21:03

It's either 5 minutes of Newsround which delivers child-friendly content and enables discussion or just leave it to the playground shrieking 'we're all gonna DIE!!!' with no context. We put it on for yr2s in response to the KS2 shriekers this morning.

FlipFlopsMakeMyToesCold · 24/02/2022 21:03

Yanbu

I'm in same position with same aged child and this would make her extremely scared.

Emmelina · 24/02/2022 21:04

Newsround is very much age appropriate. While the content isn’t nice currently, from Newsround it’s factual. I would rather my children heard facts in an age appropriate way than speculation from classmates and other news sources.

ThanksItHasPockets · 24/02/2022 21:04

@NoWigNoWit

Can’t be arsed to name tag…of-course they’re talking about it at school. When he’s here I choose not to have the news on. What the fuck is wrong with that?

The amount of sanctimonious bullshit spouted on this thread. God forbid you choose to parent ever sooooo slightly differently to the herds of sheep.

The OP asked a question, and one of the first things to be said is (in true MN form) …precious. How is it precious to not want an 8 year old to see that shit Newround or not?

So no - I won’t be apologising.

Adults are scared too, just take a look at the many threads on here. Some of them will also choose to not watch the news. Are they ‘precious’ too?

Your child isn't anxious because of Newsround. I think you need to look a little closer to home.

The above is a personal favourite. Stating the bleeding obvious.

OP literally asked, and I quote ‘am I being precious?’

The first response directly answered that question with her own choice of word.

VioletLemon · 24/02/2022 21:05

Have you read the Curriculum?!

Clawdy · 24/02/2022 21:06

I always remember the Newsround programme about the Dunblane killings. My eight year old daughter knew about it, and watched the programme. Afterwards she said to me " I feel better now I've watched that, Mummy. They said most grownups love children and would never ever harm them." I was so moved that I wrote to Newsround thanking them, and had a lovely letter back.

Original poster
rhonyvsrhobh · 24/02/2022 21:07

@torquewench

You're being very precious. How old are you? I was a child in the 70s/80s and watched John Cravens Newsround every night. Spent most of my childhood convinced we would be obliterated by nuclear armageddon (from the same foe as todays news 🤔) /starve to death due to famine/3 day week/miners strike etc.etc. There's a sword of Damocles over your head your entire life if you believe MSM.
I'm 25
OP posts:
RedToothBrush · 24/02/2022 21:07

How is it precious to not want an 8 year old to see that shit Newround or not?

Cos its out of touch with reality and it sets them up for problems further down the line.

Choosing to parent differently is fine. But if you are merely indulging fantasy land in pursuit of a misguided notion of preserving their innocence when what we are talking about is deliberately pitched in an age appropriate fashion, its actively harmful.

Thats different to overexposure. Its the fantasy and denial bit thats the problem.