Abstract

Children’s parents, caregivers, educators, and the community may have concerns about the impact of media on children. Violence, natural disasters, and other unsettling information can be traumatic for young children to experience through exposure to media that is not developmentally appropriate. The broad nature of media use in a child’s life is a crucial consideration for their social emotional development. Advancing technology and expanding media usage pervades all aspects of modern life while understanding of the impact of media on growth and development in young children may be unclear. How do we talk to children about what they see in the media? This article explores ways to support children’s social emotional development when they experience exposure to media in the early years. We provide information about considerations for media with regard to young children, concerns of media production for children, and guidance for children on traumatic events in media.