How Social Media Plays and Depicts a Role in the Explanation of Death to Children Ages 5-12.

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The research conducted examined the potential influence of children’s movies and books on children’s concepts of death. A content analysis was performed on death scenes and explanations of death to children’s in popular films such as Lion King, Bambi and A Nightmare before Christmas. The children’s books that were analyzed were Emma Says Goodbye: A Child's Guide to Bereavement, When a Pet dies and What’s Heaven? The research explored the way in which death was introduced and explained in picture books and films chosen. The topics of death, grief, depression, or loss and the use of a close reading of both the text and the visual images, they were analyzed for their use of words, characters and feelings in discussing the concepts of death, regeneration, life, and the life cycle. Through a further examination of the text and image relationship the films are then analyzed for their effectiveness and accessibility to children attempting to explain such difficult ideas to a very young child, I paid particular attention to the methods that were employed by the authors and writers and producers in their works. The long tradition of dying in children stories and literature for young children has been longstanding for many generations. Death is a part of everyday life, and children, at some level, are aware of it. These films and books serve as catalysts that introduce the concept of death into discussions between children, peers, and adults. As research has shown children tend not to discuss the issue of death with peers, siblings or parents. Children do not have the knowledge or experience that adults have; thus, they are often unprepared to deal with the death of a loved one or even of a beloved cartoon character in a movie or a book. Children become aware of death before we as adults even recognize it. In their environment they see dead birds, insects, and animals

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