You can’t shield kids from scary news – here’s what ‘Sesame Street’ and other children’s shows did after 9/11

Programs took different approaches to helping young viewers grapple with the horrors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – lessons that still apply in today’s media environment.

By: Julie Dobrow, Tufts University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 8, 2026

Words: 1,434

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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By Julie Dobrow, Tufts University

On back-to-school night in 2005, I eagerly entered my youngest child’s first grade classroom. The walls were festooned with brightly colored responses to the prompt: “Draw something you remember.”

I scanned for my son’s picture and was shocked when I encountered his drawing: an airplane flying into New York’s World Trade Center.

“I saw the picture you drew up on the bulletin board,” I said to him later that night. “Do …

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