Getting children to keep up with current affairs can be invaluable for their development as they grow up to be well-informed young people who are engaged with the world around them.
But there's a fine balance that needs to be struck when it comes to deciding what to show them, as many parts of the news can be unsettling for adults to watch, let alone kids.
One mum on Mumsnet has been left outraged by teachers at her eight-year-old daughter's school after they allowed her class to watch an episode of Newsround, BBC 's news programme for children, that covered Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The scenes shown on the news over recent days have been overwhelming for many of us, and after the woman's daughter came home "very upset and worried" about what might happen, she took to Mumsnet to claim it was inappropriate of the school to tell young children about the conflict.
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In her post, she said: "I think that it is important for children to know what is happening in the world - to an extent.
"My 8-year-old daughter came home today very upset and worried as she had seen on Newsround - which is shown at her school - that Russia has invaded Ukraine. She has asked me several times if we were going to get 'hit'.
"I have tried to reassure her that it won't happen (what else can I say) and not to worry. She then asked me to swear on her life that we won't be affected by it. I said I couldn't swear on her life but not to worry, it won't happen.
"She is very anxious and I just don't think something so serious should have been shown to 8-year-old children. I feel so sorry for them, they've had Covid and now this!"
Commenters on the forum were quick to remind the mum that Newsround is specifically designed for children between the ages of six and 12, and said the language that was used will have been appropriate for her daughter's age group.
And others also noted that although the young girl's fear is understandable, it's also important for her to learn about world news in a "well-informed" and "appropriately explained" way.
One person said: "Newsround is designed for children of her age though, isn’t it? Maybe a heads up from the school would be good so parents are ready to answer questions, but children are going to overhear adults talking about it so it’s better that it’s explained properly."
While another added: "My eight-year-old has seen Newsround at school. In my opinion, it’s better they learn about these types of things in a well informed and appropriately explained way that enables discussion and the chance to allay fear, than overhearing snippets of adult conversation and scaring yourself half to death imagining the rest."
The mum isn't the only one to have raised concerns about schools showing Newsround episodes to students though, as we previously covered the story of another mum who said she didn't want her kids, aged eight and 10, to watch the programme because she deemed it too "alarming".
She wrote: “Every class at my children’s school seems to watch Newsround on a daily basis.
“We deliberately avoid watching the news with them around, because so much of it is alarming for people who haven't yet got adult perspective on things.
“News TV is deliberately curated to make it as arresting and attention-grabbing as possible, and obviously concentrates more on the bad stuff than anything else. Can't they just have a childhood before they're confronted with the dark sides of human nature?”
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