AIBU to want Year 3 given discussion after watching Newsround?

[jesst81]

My 7-year-old daughter (Year 3) is really struggling with anxiety at the moment and I’m wondering if I’m being unreasonable here.
Her grandfather passed away about five weeks ago, which I’m sure is playing a part. We’ve been doing a lot of talking at home about feelings and grief, and generally she’s quite a sensitive child. She also loves learning about the world and is very curious.
Recently the school have been showing Newsround to the class during the day. I understand that it’s aimed at children and that the school say it’s appropriate from age 6+, but lately it has been covering things like the war in the Middle East and the UK’s involvement. My daughter seems to find this really worrying.
The issue for me isn’t necessarily that they watch it — it’s that there doesn’t seem to be much context or discussion afterwards. From what I understand, the children watch it and then move straight on with the day. My daughter comes home with lots of questions and worries that she doesn’t fully understand.
Her anxiety has escalated quite a lot. A few weeks ago she might have had the occasional wobble, but now she’s having what I’d describe as anxiety attacks several times a day. It’s really distressing to see.
I have spoken to the school and her teacher, but the general response has been that it’s age-appropriate and that they try to talk about it later in the week if they have time. I completely understand teachers are busy, but I’m struggling with the idea of children this young watching news about war without the space to process it or ask questions.
Am I being unreasonable to expect a bit more explanation or discussion around it for children this age?
Just interested to hear how other schools handle this or whether anyone has been in a similar situation.

I wpuld expect newsround to be age appropriate. Schools can't be held responsible for what children see or hear elsewhere.

For me it's a bit like sex ed, better they learn the facts in a safe enviroment than by whispers and rumours in the school yard. Although I think there should some discussion afterwards.

Just switching it on and having zero discussion after is lazy.

If you had had panic attacks multiple times a day, your parents would hopefully have adjusted.

The child in the OP isn't you, so the fact you were fine is completely irrelevant.

Plus presumably you were free to leave the room, which is not permitted at school.

YANBU. Sounds lazy plonking them in front of the TV every day. Once a week with a discussion of the issues would be enough. I only watch/read the news myself at this frequency and it's enough for me as an adult. DD1 got very anxious hearing the news in the car when she was little as she was very bright but not old enough to have any perspective. It took us a while to work out what was causing it. It sounds a laudable way to involve children in current affairs but too much too soon.

Watch the same episodes of newsround with her at home and discuss it with her yourself , thats a good solution

No, the school should make it so the child affected doesn't have to watch.

However often one parental complaint draws attention to poor teaching practice, which watching news with no discussion is.

This is very belittling. No one else has a problem therefore you shouldn't.

Let's show a programme talking about conflict to settle the children in? What?

Also has your dd "raised " it with her teacher...she's not an office worker ffs...she's 7.

I agree.
If schools are going to show the news they need to provide some opportunity to discuss it immediately after.

Otherwise its just lazily using the TV as a babysitter

Your examples - whilst sad - do not directly affect a child here but they are aware that a war could and it’s scary for them.

I was stuck in Dubai and my Year 3 daughter was shown newsround, so she very quickly learnt mummy was stuck in a war!

We warned the teachers beforehand and asked that they be mindful of what was shown to her. So when it covered the war they quickly paused it, then sent her out of the classroom on her own whilst the rest of the class carried on watching it!

They didn’t do anything to make sure she was okay or notify us. She burst into tears as soon as my sister picked her up that night, she’d been so worried for the rest of the day!

@jesst81 newsround is aired at 7.45am. Would you have time to watch it together before school and the chat about it on the way to school? At least then your DD will have already seen it and you can talk directly to her about the topics

Totally agree! Schools presumably wouldn’t randomly show a sex ed video, then move directly on to the next subject!

I would suggest that the issue is not newsround but your dds anxiety. I was a child who 'worried a lot', but looking back I had awful anxiety, I would worry about things until I was sick, it would stop me from doing things, I barely spoke for worry about saying the wrong thing, all from a very early age.

There was a report on the six o'clock news in the 90s, I'd have been ten or so and they were looking at the range of missiles and where they'd reach if Saddam fired them from Iraq. It was a purely hypothetical, what could be going on in Iraq after they have built up their weapons again after the first Gulf War. It terrified me, its all I could think of and it stopped me sleeping. But my reaction was not normal. I also spent all daysaturday worrying in case I saw a bit of Casulty as that scared me. I think looking into ways to help your dds anxiety is going to help her more than just shielding her from a programme thst is aimed at her age, otherwise it will just be something else.

I am avoiding the news right now and not encouraging my children to access it - my own anxiety is
up. There is no point in showing this to 7 year olds and certainly not without discussion or contextualisation.

Yes same here, I found it scary and boring and so didnt watch it, by 15 I was a member of a political party (junior) , so had no lack of understanding of politics or what I believed in which I still largely believe in now.

Watching it without further discussion is poor.

That said, watching these things on Newsround, which is pitched in an entirely age appropriate way, and learning the facts, is far better than overhearing discussion and hearsay. Plenty of children overhear adult news, conversations etc, which I think could be far worse.

I'd discuss it with her at home, maybe show her the middle east on a globe so she has some geographical context.

Your dd does sound very anxious and I'd be working with the school to put in place some temporary measures (which might include them finding your dd a job to do instead when Newsround is on).

My autistic and highly anxious 9yo dd absolutely loves Newsround. It's the only 'educational' activity I've managed to get her engaged in while she's not currently attending school. Give her some sums or spellings to do and she shuts down. Lots of children find the Newsround content incredibly engaging.

It’s seems as if this is the new normal, so I guess it’s important to have those discussions with your DD. My guess some kids are used to TV as a background to their life and take little notice, you sound as if you and she engage more. I’m sorry she’s anxious, but hopefully her focus and attention on the world around her will be helpful going forward.

Just asked my child. They used to watch it in year 3 before lunch, now in year 4 they don’t watch it. Has it been added as a “should do” for year 3?!

I agree it’s a bit odd they don’t discuss it after. My son used to come home with questions too but wasn’t struggling with anxiety.

Maybe you could take her to the GP?

You should speak to them. I had the worst anxiety as a child because of the news. She doesn’t need to know whats happening in the news it’s ridiculous

They will hear about what is happening anyway, children don't live in a vacuum of pretty pictures and flowers. Better they see an age appropriate version that you can discuss with them, rather than just hear a wildly inaccurate version in the playground.

@Moonlochat what point did I say nobody else should worry? I didn’t say that at all! I just said we haven’t had any anxieties raised at my school so far. How have you implied that that means no other children should worry? I can’t see in my post where I said that. All I was reporting was my experience as a teacher. I would definitely want to know if a pupil of mine was getting anxious from Newsround.
My Y4 class of 8 and 9 year olds raise their worries with me regularly! Sorry you think that this is a problem.

It might have been better to tell your daughter first so you could control the narrative
Keeping it a secret was never going to work

So this is a great example of why some children struggle - child is put in a situation she cant manage, doesnt need to manage, isnt necessary, is distressing/upsetting - causes her anxiety

Rather than the adults around her say - lets not put her in this situation any more, the adults say - lets pathologise her reaction and say there is something wrong with her if she 'cant cope'

She is 7 years old.

This is why and how we end up pathologising kids reactions. Theres actually nothing wrong with her. She just isnt ready for watching that.

Kids develop at different stages and there seems no recognition in that.

This is really great advice, thank you

And to add to what @Monsterslam said it is down to parents to limit access to technology for young children, because they ain’t getting access in primary schools.