The 6 o'clock news jingle was the soundtrack to my teatime, whilst chomping on my smiley faces, I'd hear from the BBC news anchor of what had happened in the world that day.
Looking back, I know my parents wanted to be informed, but should I really have been listening to all of that?
But then I realise, at least my parents were present and knew the information I was absorbing. Fast forward 20 years, it isn't just sitting in front of the telly or getting a sneaky peek of the front page of the newspaper; now it's everywhere. And more worryingly for our students, it’s in their pockets and often being absorbed alone. Younger generations are shifting to social media as their primary news source, with TikTok leading among 12-15-year-olds followed by Instagram and Youtube.
When being exposed to so much news, we can be tempted to avoid it completely (where possible) to spare a blow to our mental health, but of course the downside to this is that we fail to see what is happening outside of our bubbles.
People avoiding news is on the rise. Around the world four in 10 (39%) of us say we sometimes or often actively avoid the news, as opposed to 29% in 2017.
I know I'm guilty of unfollowing accounts on Instagram that show a reality that I’m not willing to deal with that day and I too have channel hopped after the first headline in favour of Come Dine With Me. Who doesn't like seeing Fred & Barbara argue over cream in the carbonara?
But, there is no doubt that keeping up to date with current affairs is an important part of the recipe for creating a well-rounded citizen. Adults and young people alike.
If the news is unavoidable and tough to process for adults, how can we keep young people informed while shielding them from its harshest realities?