As Seen on News12: Jarkon Discusses Psychological Impact of Israel-Palestine Conflict

In the wake of the attacks in Israel and the Gaza Strip, psychiatrist Liat Jarkon, D.O., director of the Center for Behavioral Health, was featured in a News12 segment about safeguarding children’s mental health. Jarkon urged parents to be wary of what their children see on television and in social media, noting that exposure to disaster news coverage is known to trigger post-traumatic stress in children thousands of miles away. She advised parents to keep explanations simple and reassure children that they are safe and that the war is not happening in their backyard.

“There’s absolutely no reason for them to be exposed to that. As a parent, take precautions, remove the phone, remove the apps, and explain to them in a language they would understand based on their age what’s going on – that there are countries at war, bad things happen, but we’re okay right now, that’s all they need to know,” she says.