For kids, natural disasters can whip up worries

((Excerpt))

Kids who have grown up in today’s media-saturated environment are more prone to be affected by news of disaster, said Todd Walker, a psychologist in private practice in Cincinnati and a member of the clinical faculty of the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology.

“Even more now than in previous generations, there’s less of a distinction between real life and what you see on TV,” Walker said. “In this day and age, watching things online or on TV is just one step removed from the event itself.”

This may be particularly true for preschool children, who aren’t yet media-savvy. “Young kids don’t understand that it’s the same newsreel over and over,” Goodman said of day-long coverage of a particular event. “They think it’s the same event occurring over and over.”

Read more at WOHL.com