Photos and videos from the war in Ukraine appear on social media every day.
Videos of Ukrainian planes being fired at by Russian artillery, or of soldiers firing their weapons outside apartment complexes in big cities.
A lot of raw material is published directly on social media, without any kind of editing. What you see can be quite brutal, and difficult for a young mind to forget.
Professor emeritus and psychologist Atle Dyregrov (70) tells Dagbladet that you can see strong scenes in the videos, which can attach themselves to children and young adults.
– Even children who are not directly affected by the war can struggle with reactions afterwards for a long time, and I know that videos are shared on TikTok that are not intended for children’s eyes, says Dyregrov.
Timeline: Russia’s war against Ukraine
– The first thing the children think
Dyregrov says that children who go to school in one way or another will be affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine, and that it is good that the Norwegian school has a tradition of covering world news in primary school in, for example, social studies.
The psychologist believes that there are several ways to handle the situation, but believes that the smartest thing you can do to help your children is to give them a sense of security.
– The first thing a child thinks when they hear about war is: “Can there be war in Norway as well?”. It is important that we talk to them about this, says Dyregrov and continues:
– Unless the situation escalates, I think you can tell your children that they are safe, and make it clear that it is very unlikely that there will be war in Norway.
He says that children leave a lot to the imagination and can quickly relate to what they see on TikTok with a lack of information and understanding, which can lead to increased worry and fear.
How to help Ukraine
Videos from the war – prevention
Dyregrov says he finds it frightening that children have such easy access to social media where you can watch the war up close, with very graphic scenes.
– Before we had a distance to the war, while now we are just a keystroke away from being in the middle of the inferno. But while the media makes reservations, social media does not do the same.
PSYCHOLOGIST: Atle Dyregrov has worked with disaster psychology for several years. Photo: University of Bergen
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If your child has seen grotesque videos from the war in Ukraine that they should not have seen, Dyregrov recommends that you talk calmly with them about it and answer the questions they must have about the clips.
– You have to look at the situation a bit. How worried does your child seem? But at the same time, all parents should talk to their children about this, because they are guaranteed to think about it to some degree. Ask the children what they think about it.
He points out that children may not want to tell parents about videos that a classmate has shown, or something that has been seen on their own mobile, and that it is therefore so important to ask them. A few simple questions for the children can make them understand that serious things are okay to talk about, and smart to get out in the open.
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Draw in the children
– There are also signs that your child is not feeling so well, and may have seen something they should not. Poor sleep is a good barometer. If your child is struggling to fall asleep or sleeping poorly, it may be because they are bothered by what is happening or what they have seen. At the same time, one should be aware of questions the children ask that reflect insecurity, says Dyregrov.
He says that young people are not able to alleviate worry and fear in the same way as adults. The brain’s ability to regulate fear improves until the age of 25, according to the psychologist.
– The parts that allow the brain to regulate our worries are called executive functions. They develop gradually so that we can override our emotions. That bit does not work so well when we are children, and therefore we are dependent on adults giving us security.
Strikes Ukraine refugees with sticks
Expert: – Scary
Many videos from the war in Ukraine have been shared on the app TikTok which is very popular with children all over the world, also in Norway.
– I think it is very problematic, especially since TikTok videos often lack context and explanations. Many children see it without talking to adults about it. They can be very shocking and frightening to them.
This is what associate professor at NTNU and expert in social media and political communication, Melanie Magin, tells Dagbladet.
EXPERT: Melanie Magin has a high level of expertise in social media and political communication. Photo: Christof Mattes / JGU Mainz / NTNU
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She assumes that Ukrainians in the country use social media as a tool to show how brutal they are. This makes it easy to come across content that is not child-friendly.
– Many people can be misled on social media, and you see a lot of propaganda, among other things. How can parents shield their children from misinformation on social media?
– It is important that parents talk to their children about the dangers of misinformation and make them aware that not everything you see or read is credible.
Magin primarily uses pages for news media on social media. When she clicks on the links to the articles, she gets lots of useful background information and not so much sensational content.
Thank you Norway
Used in secret
– Is TikTok safe to use for young people right now, considering what they may end up looking at in the app?
– I generally see some problems with young children using social media. There is always problematic content there, not just now. But it is a difficult question, because not all young people see the same thing on TikTok. In addition, it also depends on age, says Magin before elaborating:
– The younger the children are, the more problematic it can be to use social media.
The social media expert believes it is better for parents to be open to dialogue and ask the kids what they have seen on TikTok lately. It can result in a healthy conversation.
– Finally, I want to say that I do not think it is a good idea when parents try to ban the kids from using social media. Then they use it in secret and stop talking to their parents about it.
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