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In the midst of a heated presidential election, political coverage and commentary can feel unavoidable. Kids are not immune — they might be picking up information about the race from the adults in their lives, at recess, or on social media. As much as parents may think their children are oblivious, research shows kids, including very young ones, are paying attention. One study found that nearly all of the surveyed kids between the ages of 5 and 11 could name the candidates running for president in 2016.
“Kids as young as kindergarten and first grade can name candidates when they see their pictures,” says Erin Pahlke, an associate professor of psychology at Whitman College and a co-author of the study, “and they have a sense of what the candidates believe.”
You don’t have to have an in-depth discussion with your child every time they encounter a political topic. When it comes to political conversations with kids, experts say you should answer their questions about the civic process and quell any fears they may have — but avoid telling them how to think.
When kids are young, teach them about civic engagement
Since children as young as 5 are shown to already have a basic understanding of presidents and elections, you can use this early exposure to guide and inform their knowledge. Kids of all ages can learn about civic engagement through activities like mock elections in school or accompanying their parents to the polls on Election Day, says clinical psychologist Melissa Goldberg Mintz, author of Has Your Child Been Traumatized? How to Know and What to do to Promote Healing and Recovery.
You can use this experience to teach kids how elections work. Children as young as 5 can grasp that voters are choosing between two major candidates from opposite parties and for laws that affect where they live, Pahlke says. If an elementary school-aged child has particular interests — maybe they love trains and buses — you could explain how proposed legislation would impact transportation in your city or town, Goldberg Mintz says.
But don’t get too in the weeds or too prescriptive. “Something we would not want to do,” she says, “is talk about ‘With global climate change and increasing natural disasters, our city is doomed if we don’t have these protective flood measures.’”
Allow kids to lead the dialogue
Although children are exposed to more political information than their parents realize, their understanding or the conclusions they draw is sometimes incorrect, Pahlke says. Parents have a responsibility to clear up these misunderstandings, she continues, so ask your kids what they know about certain topics. Watching or reading the news together can be an effective way to start a conversation, says Nicole Caporino, an associate professor of psychology at American University. If any stories trigger fear or confusion, you can discuss the likelihood that their fears will materialize, point out hopeful news stories, and assure them the family will cope with any potential challenges together, Caporino says.
Caporino’s research has suggested that most children and adolescents were worried about political issues. Don’t downplay their concerns, Goldberg Mintz says. Do your best to give them an honest answer, but try not to give into fear or negativity, even if you are feeling scared. You might say, “I hear that you’re worried about that, and I have some concerns too. But we’ll figure out ways to get through it if that happens.”
Parents should open the door to these conversations, because chances are children might already be thinking about these topics, Pahlke says. However, you shouldn’t offer up too many details if your child isn’t interested. For example, if you ask your elementary-aged kid, “The presidential election is coming up. Have you heard anything?” and they don’t have a strong opinion or say they haven’t talked about it with their friends, you can leave it at that.
“We don’t ever want to volunteer bloody details or gory information that kids don’t already know about,” Goldberg Mintz says. “We want to be a trustworthy source for them. And if we don’t know the answer, we want to show them how to get to a trustworthy source.”
Teens who are closer to voting age can handle discussions about specific policies, Pahlke says, and parents can explain various perspectives and potential outcomes. Parents can also talk with their teens about the importance of voting, Goldberg Mintz says.
Encourage them to fact-check what they see on social media
Teens are increasingly turning to social media to stay informed, with one 2022 survey finding that half of Gen Z adolescents source their news from online platforms. If your kid asks you a question about something they’ve seen on social media (or sounds as if it originated there), use this as an opportunity to fact-check those claims with them. Check sources like AP Fact Check, Politifact, and Snopes and show them where they can find trusted reporting. To determine a source’s credibility, the News Literacy Project recommends quickly researching the source of your news, determining if the organization has ethical standards, and assessing the quality of the outlet’s other coverage.
“We don’t ever want to volunteer bloody details or gory information that kids don’t already know about.”
If your teen doesn’t come to you directly with what they’ve been watching online, you might need to gently broach the conversation. In the case of viral disinformation campaigns, you can ask your child, “Did you see people talking about this on social media” This way you can glean information about what your kid is seeing online and correct any inaccuracies.
Let them come to their own conclusions
High schoolers will have more nuanced understandings about certain current events and policies and it’s appropriate to discuss these topics with them, Pahlke says. But rather than paint various candidates or points of view as “good” or “bad,” help them consider different perspectives. Explain why people with various experiences would have different opinions on a topic. It’s fine if they align with a particular candidate or policy, but they should also be able to see where the other side is coming from. Perspective-taking can help them in other relationships, too, Pahlke says.
Teens may also have a clear understanding of their personal values and can reflect on how certain candidates or policies reflect these values and goals, Goldberg Mintz says. You can show your teen where to find credible information from trusted news sources on specific candidates and policies and let them make up their minds.
“Rather than trying to get in the weeds about ‘This is the candidate that our family can support, and it’s because XYZ’ is trying to define a kid’s beliefs for them,” Goldberg Mintz says. “We let our kids come to their own decisions.”
