The events of 9/11 provide a tragic example of how children respond to traumatic events in era of television and instant communication. The ways in which children reacted to 9/11 varied with, their distance from the events, the extent to which they were personally involved, their age and, to some extent, their personality. Children, who were physically close to the twin towers, heard the noise, smelled the odors and even saw their collapse, were much more seriously affected than children who were not close to the events. Children in other parts of New York and in other states only saw the events on TV and, for the most part, did not suffer any emotional trauma. Children who witnessed or were close to the events, required psychological counseling and suffered anxiety attacks and night terrors. Many of these children have still not completely recovered.

The children who were most affected were those who lost loved ones, particularly parents. For such children, who may not have witnessed or been close to the events, the trauma was deeply personal- the sudden, totally unexpected loss of a loved one. Mourning, rather than fear and shock, was the dominant emotion for those young people who suffered a personal loss. What is so hard for these children to understand is why it happened, why anyone would want to harm people whom they did not know, had never seen and had never done them any harm. It is the irrationality of the act, at least from their point of view, which makes their loss so devastating. There are many programs for these children including camps where they can meet other young people who have experienced similar losses.

The third factor in determining how traumatic events portrayed on television affects children is their age. This is true even for children who were close to the event. Young children, below the age of five or six, have little understanding of the dimensions of the tragedy. They realize something terrible has happened and are terrified that something bad will happen to them. In fact this is the same reaction of young children in all parts of the country when they see or hear of a catastrophic event. Children of this age need to be reassured that they are safe and that nothing is going to happen to them. Children of school age have a better understanding of the actual event but not of its broader implications. They are most concerned about the safety of themselves, their parents and siblings. Like their younger siblings, these youngsters need to know that it was a one time event and that the family is safe. Adolescents have a fuller understanding of the event, the fanaticism that brought it about and a fuller understanding of what 9/11 portends. For adolescents, a frank discussion of the events, gives them the sense that their maturity is recognized and that they can even provide support for their younger siblings.

The last factor is the child himself or herself. Some children are much more affected by traumatic events, particularly when these occur at a distance, than are others. Even so, in the event of hearing and seeing a traumatic event, all young children need reassurance that they are safe, all school children need to hear that the family will not be harmed and all adolescents need to be given the sense that they can understand what has happened and can provide as well as receive support.