Dear BPS Families,
The destruction and violence in Israel and Gaza are devastating beyond comprehension.
Over the past week, news outlets and trauma experts across the globe have discussed the likelihood that graphic and disturbing images, videos, and audio recordings related to these events are being broadcast on social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Facebook. They have warned that such traumatic images and videos may negatively impact children. We share this concern for the social and emotional well-being of all students in our District.
We encourage you to monitor your child’s access to and usage of social media platforms. Some things you can do to limit exposure to this content:
Talk with your teens about their social media usage and discuss whether it may make sense to delete social media apps temporarily.
Disable in-app autoplay features to prevent videos on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube from automatically playing.
Set YouTube to “Approved Content Only” so your child can only access the content, channels, or collections that you have approved.
Enable TikTok’s “Restricted Mode” to limit graphic videos from the For You Page.
Turn on Instagram’s sensitive content warnings to see fewer posts that Meta considers potentially sensitive.
Here are some resources you may find helpful as we navigate these global events:
Instructions for protecting your child’s social media feeds from graphic images and videos from the Washington Post
How to explain the news to children from Common Sense Media
Talking to children about violence from the National Association of School Psychologists
Helping elementary school children learn skills of resilience in a time of war from the American Psychological Association
Helping middle school children learn skills of resilience in a time of war from the American Psychological Association
Ways to support youth affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza from the National Association of School Psychologists
How to have conversations with children about terrorism and war from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
As a District, we are incredibly sensitive to these events' impact on all of our community members. We remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering safe and supportive learning environments in each school where students can ask questions and express their emotions.
School social workers and mental health counselors can meet with students to help them process their emotions and reactions to this crisis. Please contact your building principal if you have questions or need additional support.
Thank you,
Mike Messore
Michael B. Messore III
Superintendent, Barrington Public Schools