ROANOKE, Va. – As we’re covering the war in Israel, we wanted to speak with a mental health expert about children and the effects of seeing war on television and online.
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Dr. Robert Trestman is the Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Carilion Clinic. He said over the past few years we’ve seen horrific images going back to Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, and now Israel.
Trestman said the bottom line, is that seeing war and violence is damaging for children, but it is an important topic to address.
”You can’t unsee these things. Seeing these things repetitively brings significant emotional distress. So I would really encourage parents to work to limit exposure,” Trestman said.
Trestman said it’s important to talk with your kids about this topic in a way that is age-appropriate for them.