That might mean children are watching TV and seeing media coverage of recent traumatic events – the Florida airport shooting and bombing in Iraq for example.

These events are tragic and the footage of the gunman at the airport, or victims of the latest bombing are upsetting and, for children, often difficult to understand.

What is the impact on children of seeing these kinds of events on the news, particularly when they are accompanied by graphic scenes of violence and mayhem?

One study undertaken after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings showed people who were exposed to six hours or more of coverage were more likely to be acutely stressed, and have higher stress levels than those who were directly involved. This was the case even when they knew no-one involved.

Clearly watching these kinds of traumatic events triggers strong emotional responses and with the penetration of media into our lives 24/7 we can often feel there is no escape from the world around us.

Children often worry that what they see on the news might happen around them.

There is some evidence that video footage has more of an impact than still pictures or the stories they hear.

The World Health Organisation at one point recommended that children are not exposed to this kind of news, however, Australian researchers suggest that rather than shielding children, parents can follow some simple guidelines aimed to help children cope and to build their emotional resilience.

They point out that hiding information often creates fear; children get information from other sources and the fact that parents have kept it a secret automatically makes it more scary. That means being with children when they see or hear these kinds of news stories.

Parents can help children understand what they are feeling (scared, worried, sad) and provide immediate reassurance. These experiences give children opportunities to build emotional literacy.

Remind children that lots of good things happen every day. Don’t be scared to have difficult conversations – it is hard to talk about the ways in which people hurt other people, about death and hatred, but children need supportive opportunities to explore these things.

They need to explore how they feel when they see/hear about these things and think about what they can do and say to make others around them feel better.

We certainly don’t need a stressful, difficult conversation every day (or every time we watch the news), so there are times when distraction is appropriate; times to play a game together rather than watching TV.

If we want our children to make the world a better place, we have to sow the seeds now: we have to give them the emotional resilience and thinking strategies that will allow them to make a difference.