The war in Ukraine is visible in many ways in the social media services popular with children and young people. This support material helps schools and educational institutions discuss the content children and young people come across in social media. It is important to reinforce the child’s or young person’s experience of being able to talk about social media contents and the feelings they evoke openly at school and in educational institutions as well.
Smartphone.
Photo: Rodion Kutsaev / Unsplash

 

 

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, younger and younger children may see pictures and videos related to the war in the social media services. The social media channels popular with children and young people distribute not only news images but also content related to war and violence, which may be upsetting.
 

For example, channels have distributed videos and pictures of soldiers preparing for war, civil defence shelters, the destruction of war, and people who are fleeing and asking for help. Among authentic pictures and videos, there is also content that has been modified, for example, with frightening sounds. Many children and young people comment on videos and pictures shared from the area of the crisis with comforting words and emojis, using the flag of their own country as a sign of support for Ukraine. Children and young people share their thoughts and fears related to the news and comfort each other in social media.
 

Not all of the platforms used by children and young people offer reliable content distributed by the authorities. It is not possible to verify the reliability of all contents shared in the social media channels. Upsetting pictures and videos may cause fear and anxiety. It is important that we talk with children and young people in schools and educational institutions about the contents that they have seen.

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Discussions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may arise in schools and educational institutions. You can discuss the contents that children and young people have seen in social media as part of the teaching.

It is important to take into account the age and development level of the pupils in the discussion. Listen. Talk about the situation calmly. The child or young person may be worried that the war will spread. Base your answers to the child’s or young person’s questions on facts. Aim to convey a sense of safety and security to the child or young person. Convey information that efforts are made to solve the crisis and the child or young person does not need to be worried about the situation. It is important to reinforce the child’s or young person’s experience of being able to talk about social media contents and the feelings they evoke openly at school and in educational institutions as well. Support the child or young person in reducing their social media use and news consumption if they cause fear.

Cooperation between home and school is important. Parents should be encouraged to continue the discussion with their child or young person at home. The responsibility for the social media use of the child or young person during their free time lies with the parents.

Pupils and students are entitled to psychologist and school social worker services and to school and student health services. Under the law, if a teacher or other member of staff is concerned about a child or a young person, they must refer the young person to psychologist or school social worker services. The teacher must also not hesitate to contact the specialists in student welfare services if a young person or a child reacts to news reporting on the crisis in an alarming way. These professionals provide individual support to the child, the young person and the parents, and also offer their expertise to the teacher.

The guardian plays a central role in securing the good growth and development of children and young people outside the school day. The guardian is also the person who knows their child best. If the guardian becomes worried about the child’s or the young person’s way of reacting to the crisis, they should inform the school or educational institution of it.
 

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Children and young people use the media in very different ways. Depending on the media, pupils and students may have seen very different contents. It is important for them to understand that in addition to reliable news, misleading and incorrect information is also available in the media. The primary need of children and young people may be to share their thoughts, have conversations and be listened to. You should take into account that the ability of children and young people to process what they see and hear in social media varies and it is not always tied to their age.    

Media literacy is needed as part of multiliteracy. In accordance with the broad conception of text, texts that are meaningful to the pupils and students, authentic and topical are discussed in education.  Social media contents provide an excellent opportunity to interpret and evaluate different texts. Discussing the media contents, assessing them critically and verifying their sources are approach strategies in which pupils and students may have a natural proactive role.

During the Ukraine crisis, the impact of digital services such as social media can be examined from the perspective of global risks. Social media can be examined through the spread of disinformation and methods of influencing. Responsible use of digital services is a significant part of the pupil’s digital competence. It is a good idea to discuss with the pupils what kind of impact the disinformation shared in social media may have.

Pupils should be directed to read reliable news, such as YLE News. Remember that multilingual children and young people can follow news reporting in their own mother tongue in the social media.

Today, social media channels also provide an opportunity for many to keep in touch with, for example, relatives and friends who live far away. Social media channels may also provide comfort and safety during a crisis. They can reinforce the experience that we are not alone in the middle of the crisis.
 

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