What Kids Actually Need When the News is Scary

Kids who are anxious about the news might not need to hear less — they might need to know more. Tracy Kaplan, creator of The 10 News (a podcast for kids and families ages 8-12), has spent six years helping kids make sense of everything from the Russia-Ukraine war to gun violence to banned books. What she's learned about talking to kids about hard news is useful for parents too.
Topics discussed:
Why kids' anxiety about the news is often rooted in a knowledge gap, not the news itself
How The 10 News covers scary topics like school shootings — and why vagueness can be worse than directness
What kids actually want to know more about (spoiler: more politics, not less)
How to cover hard stories without being condescending
The shift toward more international coverage over six years
What it looks like to watch a generation of kids grow up through the news

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