Experts are suggesting monitoring images seen on the web regarding Israel-Hamas war

The war between Israel and Hamas is nearly a month old, and one Hofstra University psychologist says that the conflict, and the intense media coverage of it, can have a negative effect on students’ mental health.

“It’s definitely worth thinking about the broader context in which youth mental health has deteriorated in the country over the past decade, and worsened during the pandemic,” Amy Lee, a licensed clinical psychologist and an assistant professor of psychology, said of young people in the United States. “Now, as we’re dealing with these constant headlines about the war, the uncertainty and worry can cause a sense of danger or threat to safety for many children, resulting in many different emotions.

“We worry the most about students with pre-existing mental health needs,” Lee added.

Since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, the terrorist group has posted propaganda on social media platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, in the form of un-moderated messaging and first-person video, using the internet to spread terror and antisemitism.

The Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence school districts have recommended ways in which to protect their students’ mental health, inside and outside school.

“The well-being of our students and staff remains our highest priority,” Barbara Giese, a Hewlett-Woodmere district spokeswoman, wrote in an email. “Students, parents, and staff members have been informed that the District’s social workers, psychologists, and counselors at all of our schools are ready to assist any children or staff member who may be afraid and/or struggling with their feelings”

District Superintendent Ralph Marino Jr. sent an email to Hewlett-Woodmere parents on Oct. 11, suggesting that they limit their children’s exposure to the images and videos of the war in news coverage as well as on social media.

Since 2020, the Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence school districts have both collaborated with Northwell Health’s Behavioral Health Center, in Rockville Centre, to address students’ mental health needs. Lawrence Superintendent Ann Pedersen encourages students to continue to use the center’s services if they feel they need them.

“It’s difficult for a school district to tell families what to do at home,” Pedersen said. “We can talk about the impact of the images that could occur, but it’s challenging to say to families, ‘Don’t put on the news, don’t let your children watch this,’ because many families believe that children need to watch that.

“The best we can say is to be aware of its impact on the children and to have those conversations with them,” she added.

At the Northwell center, an outpatient facility, mental health counselors and child psychiatrists focus on suicide prevention and treating children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression. The facility, at 100 Merrick Road, collaborates with Cohen Children’s Medical Center and other school districts including East Rockaway, Freeport, Malverne, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, Valley Stream, Wantagh and West Hempstead.

Pedersen acknowledged, however, that the district can’t control how students use social media in their free time.

Lee said that students should be informed, but in age-appropriate ways. “The extent to which media exposure becomes problematic,” she said, “is when children are absorbing all the violence and trauma through the news or social media without having resources to be able to talk about what they’re watching or observing.”

Breaks from social media are recommended not only for children, but for adults too, Lee said. “For children and adults alike, it’s a good idea, and it has been recommended, to take breaks from social media and the news,” she said. “We all need time to be able to recuperate from the collective stress that we’re experiencing.

“The war can cause a sense of danger to our safety,” she added, “so it’s important that we are cognizant of the media coverage and the exposure to violence that’s within it.”

Have an opinion on how war images impact people’s lives? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.