Skip to Content

  • For Parents
  • For Educators
  • For Advocates
Common Sense Media

Or browse by category:

  • Movies
  • TV shows
  • Books
  • Apps
  • Games
  • Parenting
  • Sign in
  • Join
  • Donate
  • Movies & TV
    • Movie and TV Reviews and Lists
      • Movie Reviews
      • TV Reviews
      • Best Streaming Picks for Kids
      • Best Movie Lists
      • Best TV Lists
      • YouTube Channel Reviews
    • The Common Sense Seal
      • Common Sense Selections
      • A stylized illustration of a family with a tablet, book, and game controller between them. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors
    • Editors' Top Picks
      • Image of the Common Sense Selection sealCommon Sense Selections for family entertainment
  • Books
    • Book Reviews and Lists
      • Best Book Lists
      • Book Reviews
    • Article about books
      • Mom and daughter reading on the couch10 tips for getting kids hooked on books
  • Apps & Games
    • App and Game Reviews and Lists
      • Best App Lists
      • App Reviews
      • Best Game Lists
      • Game Reviews
    • Website Reviews and Lists
      • Best Website Lists
      • Website Reviews
      • Best for Learning Lists
      • Special Needs Apps
    • Learning with Technology
      • Image of the Common Sense Selection sealCheck out new Common Sense Selections for games
      • Common Sense Selections
    • EdTech Reviews
      • A teacher smiling at his laptop while looking for edtech tools for his classroomTeachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews
  • Parents Need to Know
    • By Age
      • Preschoolers (2-4)
      • Little Kids (5-7)
      • Big Kids (8-9)
      • Tweens (10-12)
      • Teens (13+)
    • By Topic
      • Cellphones
      • Screen Time
      • Social Media
      • Privacy and Online Safety
      • Learning with Technology
      • Violence in the Media
      • More ...
    • Parents' Ultimate Guide to ...
      • Minecraft
      • Google Classroom
      • Fortnite
      • YouTube
      • Snapchat
      • TikTok
      • Roblox
      • YouTube Kids
      • Zoom
      • Messenger Kids
      • Parental Controls
      • More ...
    • What's New
      • TikTok logo and screenshot of a smiling teen within the app interfaceParents' Ultimate Guide to TikTok
      • All Articles
      • Family Media Agreement
      • Parent Trapped Podcast
      • Free Weekly Webinars
  • Latino
    • Menu for Latino Content
      • Inicio
      • Artículos en español
      • Videos en español
      • Nuestras reseñas
      • Nuestra misión
      • En las noticias
      • Colaboradores
      • Recursos educativos
      • Latino Articles in English
    • Latest Latino Blog Post
      • 3 aplicaciones para aprender las tablas de multiplicar
    • Latest Latino Video
      • Actividades sobre el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana
  • Research
  • About Us
    • Learn about Common Sense
      • About Us
      • Our Impact
      • Meet Our Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Board of Advisors
      • How We Rate
    • More About Us Links
      • Donate
      • Regional Offices
      • Events
      • Careers
      • CCPA: Protect Your Privacy
    • Donate to Common Sense
      • Young girl hugging her momWe're a nonprofit. Support our work!
    • Common Sense's Impact
      • Cover of the book "Which Side of History?" surrounded by headshots of the contributors of the bookWhich Side of History? How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives
  • Distance Learning
    • Corona Column 1
      • Wide Open School
      • Back-to-School Guide for Families
      • Coronavirus Support
      • Free Weekly Webinars
      • Recursos en español
    • Corona Column 2
      • Black preacher and Black female scientist with African art displayedCelebrate the history and culture of the African diaspora and the achievements of people with African roots on Wide Open School
    • Corona Column 3
      • A mom and two daughters sit on a bed in front of a laptop and wave at the cameraOnline Playdates, Game Nights, and Other Ways to Socialize at a Distance
    • Corona Column 4
      • A bored-looking child leaning on his hand sitting in front of a computerKeeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning
  • Donate

Parenting, Media, and Everything In Between

17 Tips to Steer Kids of All Ages Through the Political Season

Help your kids tune out the noise and tune in to age-appropriate resources for political news. By Regan McMahon
Topics: Digital Media and School, Screen Time
Ver en español
Advice | 0:43
5 Things to Tell Your Kids About the Election

Today, when the latest campaign trail gaffe, political scandal, or candidate counterattack goes viral, your kids may hear about it before you do. How will they know whether a claim or a charge is based in fact, an unsubstantiated smear, or typical campaign overstatement?

Today's kids get their news from a variety of sources, from TV to Twitter. In fact, social media is teens' primary news source. According to a study by the University of Chicago, nearly half of young people age 15 to 25 get news at least once a week from family and friends via Twitter or Facebook. And it can be difficult to tell fact from fiction. The presidential candidates now use Twitter to spin their messages and slam their opponents. One of the study's conclusions is: "Youth must learn how to judge the credibility of online information and how to find divergent views on varied issues."

The media plays a huge role in our country's political process. And with the 24/7 news cycle, those effects are magnified. On the plus side, there are plenty of age-appropriate resources at your fingertips, some of which we've listed below. Here's how you can help your kids become media-savvy participants in democracy.

Elementary School Kids

Decode ads. When a political ad comes on TV or is striped across or down the side of a computer screen, talk to your kid about the claims the ad is making and how music and visuals are used to persuade viewers. Talk about why there are so many negative ads -- and why they work. 

Watch out for campaign-inspired bullying. Kids exposed to candidates' mudslinging and name-calling on TV, on radio, and in video clips online may parrot this talk and engage in bullying behavior at school or home. Explain that politicians do this to gain an advantage over their opponent or change the conversation. Explain that name-calling and bullying isn't appropriate at home, at school, or on the playground. Teach kids how to respectfully disagree.

Seek out kid-friendly news. Turn to news sources designed for kids, such as HTE Kids News, Time for Kids, and Scholastic Kids Press Corps. These news websites break down the events of the day in age-appropriate terms, while avoiding stuff you probably won't want them exposed to.

Read kid-friendly books about American politics. Check out Bad Kitty for President, which does a great job of explaining the U.S. political system. See how hard women fought for voting rights in Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles. And find out what the founding fathers were really like in The Founding Fathers: Those Horse-Ridin', Fiddle-Playin', Book-Readin', Gun-Totin' Gentlemen Who Started America. 

Keep the bombast at bay. Kids may not understand concepts such as groping, gun control, abortion, troops, and immigration, but they can certainly feel the emotion behind the rhetoric. Try to change the station and mute the TV when you can. Kids will pick up on your reactions -- and they sometimes feel at fault for causing them -- so if a candidate makes you mad, explain that the man or woman on TV made you feel that way and why.

Middle School Kids

Talk about political advertising. How is a political ad like a regular commercial for a product? Is it selling a candidate just like another sells cereal? Who paid for the ad you're watching? Can political ads actually influence the outcome of an election? Watch political movies to see how fictional political strategies mirror real-life ones.

Share political cartoons. Mocking the candidates is a long-cherished tradition Americans can enjoy in the name of free speech. Poking fun of politicians takes some bite out of their often harsh statements, shows kids that challenging bold claims is part of our political process, and offers a sense of relief when the campaign rhetoric heats up.

Tackle the tough topics. With campaign rhetoric getting nastier, you may have to explain to your kids certain terms and situations you never thought you'd have to when they're this age. Explain how candidates may bring up some things as a distraction or to get attention. Steer the conversation back to the important issues in the election. Ask your kids to identify two specific positions for each candidate to keep them focused on the real issues. 

Ask how elections really work. Draw a link between your kids' experience of student body elections or mock presidential elections at school and those on the state and national levels. Are elections just a popularity contest, or does someone win because he or she has the best ideas?

De-fang hate speech and fear-mongering. When candidates unleash extreme, zealous statements, they can stir up scary emotions (worry, confusion, fear, anxiety) in tweens. Explain that candidates intentionally try to appeal to people's emotions to gain an advantage over their rivals and that some candidates will resort to insulting, bullying, and even lying. Tell your kids that much of what the candidates say simply isn’t true. See if you can get your kids to pick out the kinds of statements that are attention-getting vs. meaningful comments about what policies the candidates would institute if elected.  

High School Kids

Address campaign rhetoric head-on. Discuss campaign issues that become national news -- even if they're hard to stomach. Kids will be riveted to any election news that's outrageous. Ask your kids open-ended questions about what they've heard, what they think about what they've heard, and why the candidates' talking points and media coverage veer so far from the "real" issues voters care about. 

Watch news and debates together. Compare the media coverage on different shows and networks. Do reporters, news anchors, and opinion shows spend too much time on distractions that heat up the 24-hour cable news cycle rather than on the real issues facing our country? Check the credibility of candidates' claims at the nonpartisan site FactCheck.org. 

Talk about the influence of polls. A lot of what drives momentum in campaigns are the latest poll results, reported on news shows and websites. Your family may be getting calls at home from pollsters or one of the campaigns asking whom you'll vote for. How might polls influence people? Are polls accurate predictors of election-day results? Send teens to Reddit, where they can share, rank, and discuss the news.

Discuss the role of social media in elections. Do your teens follow any politicians on Twitter or other feeds? What kinds of posts earn your teen's respect, and what kinds erode it? Is it risky to talk politics with friends online if you disagree?

Remind them not to believe everything they read. Encourage them to get out from behind their computers with Rock the Vote, which uses music and pop culture to engage teens.

Talk about fear and hate-mongering among politicians -- and how mudslinging is nothing new. Sometimes its helpful to discuss the historical context of election politics. Teens are old enough to understand that extreme positions and outrageous comments attract attention -- and sometimes that's all politicians want. Talk about the grand old tradition of mudslinging in campaigns. Why do candidates make offensive statements, and what impact do zealous positions have on voters and the political process? Do you pay more attention when a candidate is making outrageous statements or discussing actual policy? How much of what a candidate says is designed to appeal to voters' emotions?

Reinforce your family values. Make sure you slip in some of your own families' values when you discuss the issues, because as we all know, the campaign season coverage can introduce lots of issues that tweens and teens will question. 

Senior parenting editor Caroline Knorr contributed to this article.

Updated
September 17, 2018

Related Advice & Top Picks

Talking to kids about the news
Explaining the News to Our Kids
Teaching Kids Media Smarts During Breaking News
Teaching Kids Media Smarts During Breaking News
Sneaky Ways Advertisers Target Kids
Sneaky Ways Advertisers Target Kids
Government Apps, Games, and Websites
Government Apps, Games, and Websites
Games and Sites That Encourage...
Games and Sites That Encourage Community Service
Biopic Movies
Biopic Movies

About Regan McMahon

Image of blog author
Regan has been reviewing children's books for more than 20 years. A journalist and former book editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, she cites as one of her toughest assignments having to read and review the 784-page... Read more

Add comment

Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts

Comments (9)

Adult written by deepasalem
September 9, 2020

Sending even HS teens to reddit is a disaster.. there are too many trolls, it sucks time and leaves even adults confused. Teens are "doxing" and ganging up on their "friends" who are leaning to a different party - often, neither are still eligible to vote :)
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Kid, 11 years old September 23, 2019

Personally, I love the excitement about election day, just tell your kids that they're allowed to have their own opinion, but they can't vote until they're 18, and they can be as excited as they want.
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Teen, 14 years old written by TheMarioFan
October 11, 2018

As a conservative, your bias towards the left is wrong, you put how most people like the left (WRONG!) and you just put rude bias towards the right, like how they are all men (Will be wrong in around 5 years) They put Nazi salutes (TRUMP IS NOT AS BAD AS HITLER, I ACTUALLY LIKE TRUMP) and make them look like idiots.
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Adult written by Lisa M.
June 13, 2017

i discovered http://electoral.io/ at the very height of electoral campaign 2016 and told my son about it. kept him entertained for pretty much time, you know.
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Parent written by Jen Cort
September 27, 2016

Thank you for this informative piece! You might also like these FREE Pk-12 lessons for schools for talking about the election, tips for parents and resources for schools. http://www.jencort.com/elections
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Adult written by Senser123
November 3, 2014

I feel that going to Fact Check.org during political campaigns should be a given when you are no longer a child of say 13-19 years old and Don't you hate it when political scandal breaks ? I sure do since there has probably been more of these then there were in the past that's including cheating ones.
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Parent written by Classic Movie Family
November 5, 2012

FactCheck.org is anything but non-partisan.
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Adult written by Senser123
November 3, 2014

You really think so.
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 

Parent of a 8-year-old written by jenlomo
September 19, 2012

Great article. Trying to post it to FB & Pinterest but I keep getting this: The connection has timed out The server at www.addthis.com is taking too long to respond.
  • Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts
  • Flag as inappropriate 
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print

Browse More

Browse Advice

  • Most Shared
Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube
Snapchat, Kik, and 6 More Iffy Messaging Apps Teens Love
Explaining the News to Our Kids

Search by Age and Topic

By age

Preschoolers (2-4)
Little Kids (5-7)
Big Kids (8-9)
Tweens (10-12)
Teens (13+)

By topic

Early Childhood
Voting
Advocacy
Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking
Back to School
Celebrity Influence on Kids
Cellphone Parenting
Character Strengths and Life Skills
Common Sense News
Coronavirus Support
Cyberbullying
Digital Citizenship
Digital Media and School
Gaming
Healthy Media Habits
How-To
Internet Basics
Latino
Learning with Technology
Marketing to Kids
Media and Body Image
Mental Health
News and Media Literacy
Privacy and Internet Safety
Reading
Screen Time
Sex in the Media
Social Media
Spanish Resources
Special Needs
Technology Addiction
Violence in the Media
We Recommend
YouTube

Celebrate and honor Black lives, communities, and stories with these family movies, TV shows, and books.

Our bloggers

Frannie Ucciferri
Frannie Ucciferri
Associate Managing Editor | Kid at heart
Diane Jones Lowrey
Diane Jones Lowrey
Senior Director of Family Engagement and Community Partnerships Bio
Betsy Bozdech
Betsy Bozdech
Executive Editor, Ratings & Reviews | Mom of two
Maria O Alvarez
Maria O Alvarez
Vice President, Common Sense Latino | Mom of two
Claire Trageser
Claire Trageser
Guest Contributor
Caroline Knorr
Caroline Knorr
Senior Parenting Editor | Mom of one
Christine Elgersma
Christine Elgersma
Senior Editor, Social Media and Learning Resources | Mom of one
See the full list

Follow Common Sense

Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.
We're a nonprofit. Support our work
  • Learn More

    • About Us
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Our Impact
    • Meet Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Board of Advisors
    • Our Partners
    • Our Offices
    • Press Room
    • Annual Report
    • Contact Us
  • Our Work

    • Common Sense Media
    • Common Sense Education
    • Common Sense Kids Action
    • Digital Citizenship Program
    • Latino Program
    • Privacy Program
    • Research Program
    • Wide Open School
  • Get Involved

    • Donate
    • Join as a Parent
    • Join as an Educator
    • Join as an Advocate
    • Attend an Event
    • Enact Your CCPA Rights
    • Careers

Follow Common Sense Media

Search Common Sense Media
Subscribe to our newsletters
Help center Privacy Cookie Settings Terms of use Community guidelines
© Common Sense Media. All rights reserved. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986).

Personalize your media recommendations.

How old is your kid?
You'll have a chance to add more kids later.
Have an account? Sign in