Children can’t avoid viral stories about war and climate crisis – but we can help them | Louis Weinstock

Only by learning to unplug and face uncomfortable truths can we teach our offspring to face bad news about the world

In January 2020, the photographer Brad Fleet posted a photo of a baby kangaroo burned to death against a barbed wire fence, after a thwarted attempt to escape the Australian bushfires. You may remember the picture: the charred remains of the joey's arms wrapped around the fence, its head poking through a gap, clenched teeth standing out pale white against the grey body and post-apocalyptic backdrop.

The photo went viral, spreading like wildfire through people's devices and into their nervous systems, causing them anxiety and distress about an event a world away. In my child psychotherapy practice, I'm seeing ever more children struggling to manage their feelings in the wake of viral news events, such as the murder of George Floyd in the US, the murder of Sarah Everard in the UK, school shootings, some of the shocking images around climate breakdown, and now a war.

Louis Weinstock is a child and family psychotherapist, the co-founder of the charity Apart of Me, and the author of the book How The World Is Making Our Children Mad And What To Do About It

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