News Media & Secondary Trauma
When a tragedy impacts our community, we often rush to turn on the news and check our feeds to learn about what’s happening and how we can help. We do need to keep mindful, however, that we can experience secondary trauma from the tragic news we see in the media and online.
Several studies have shown that people who consume lots of news media after a traumatic community event, especially media that shows repetitive and graphic coverage of the event, can experience secondary trauma themselves. Sometimes experiencing even more traumatic stress symptoms than people who witnessed the traumatic event firsthand.
News media can be a major factor in developing secondary trauma, so it’s so important that we regulate our news media use after a community tragedy. It’s really hard to show up for our community when we are burnt out ourselves!
Some signals that it’s time to step back from news media consumption include:
Feeling tense, stressed, or panicked when engaging with news media
Feeling as though you can’t stop watching/scrolling
Having trouble engaging in fun or relaxing activities
Having trouble sleeping
Thinking about news content throughout the day
Feeling anger or helplessness
Increasing alcohol or drug use
That being said, news media can still play an important role in finding connection and information after a tragedy. You don’t have to stop watching altogether, but consider trying some of these simple ways to limit your exposure in respect to your mental health:
Limit social media checks to 15 minutes – many phones and social media apps have built-in screen time limits.
Keep phones away from the dinner table.
Avoid watching news before bed.
Schedule tech-free time in your day.
Turn off notifications using “Do Not Disturb” mode or app settings on your smartphones and devices.
Try using less addictive ways of getting your information, like reading articles instead of scrolling through a social media feed, or talking with friends instead of watching TV.
Children and youth have grown up with social media, and may feel especially dependent on it for comfort and connection. Parents can use some of these techniques to help moderate their children’s news media use:
Model healthy behavior by limiting your own screen time.
Opening up conversations about what they may have learned, read, or seen about the traumatic event.
Put the news into context. Explain that news covers a lot of bad things that happen, but there are a lot of good things and good people in our community too.
Consider watching any news with your children so you can provide context, monitor their emotional reactions, and reassure them.
Limit screen time, including restricting your children from seeing graphic content.
Make yourself available to answer any questions your children may have.
Encourage kids to be involved in issues they care about, outside of learning about it on the news. Give them a sense of control by encouraging them to engage in community organizations, events, donations, or petitions.
Review these guides for explaining difficult news to children and implementing age-appropriate technology limits.
Sources:
Holman, Alison & Garfin, Dana & Lubens, Pauline & Silver, Roxane. (2019). Media Exposure to Collective Trauma, Mental Health, and Functioning: Does It Matter What You See?. Clinical Psychological Science. 8.
National Association of School Psychologists - Supporting Youth Affected by the Violence in Israel and Gaza: Tips for Families and Educators
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network - Assisting Parents/Caregivers in Coping with Collective Traumas
Rebecca R. Thompson et al. Media exposure to mass violence events can fuel a cycle of distress. Sci. Adv. 5, (2019).
Steven Stosny, PhD for American Psychological Association - Media overload is hurting our mental health. Here are ways to manage headline stress.
Thompson, R. R., Garfin, D. R., Holman, E. A., & Silver, R. C. (2017). Distress, Worry, and Functioning Following a Global Health Crisis: A National Study of Americans’ Responses to Ebola. Clinical Psychological Science, 5(3), 513-521.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Media Coverage of Traumatic Events
Last updated on July 19, 2024.