Stop scaremongering children over Brexit – they're not nearly as clueless as you think

It's our job to equip young people with the facts as much as we can, rather than forcing our own points of view down their throats. You'd be surprised what kids really want if you ask them

After almost four years of speculation and confusion, it is finally the eve of the day we're due to leave the European Union. Since the results of the referendum were announced on that historical day in June 2016, rarely, if ever, has there been a more divisive issue that has quite literally split the nation.

Whether you happen to be a Remainer or a Brexiteer or even a "fence-sitter", if you have children, chances are they have their own thoughts on the long-running debate. It may also be the case that they feel rather anxious about the whole thing, with an array of questions we are all struggling to answer.

Children’s newspaper, First News, ran a kids' EU referendum in 2016, polling 7,000 children from around the country. Seventy-four per cent voted to Remain and having now re-opened this poll, the figure has increased to 83.7 per cent. This indicates that children do indeed have their own thoughts on major political issues like Brexit and that these views may well differ to those of their parents.

Brexit is undoubtedly a matter of concern to many children, coming second to the environment in a poll of their "top worries". This is due, in part, to the huge amount of scaremongering that has taken place before, during and after the EU referendum. There have been many stories from both camps about the Armageddon we should expect if we do/don’t leave – even an undercurrent of aggression towards people who happen to hold different views.

We are living in an age when access to unregulated media has never been greater. The way we all consume media has changed dramatically. Gone are the days when, as children, we may have caught a snippet on the news or a spotted a headline in the paper on the kitchen table. Children are now bombarded with news on their phones and tablets, often in the form of pictures, memes and video clips via an array of social media platforms. There are clear, regularly documented issues surrounding this, yet, perhaps a more positive view would be that children are more plugged into national and world events than they ever have been before.

The problems arise when people are unable to distinguish the fake news from the facts – and this is an issue not limited to children. Critical thinking and the ability to question what you read and see are crucial skills that many schools are now recognising. And Brexit is a perfect example of how various bits of information have been portrayed in wildly different ways, in a bid to get support for a particular viewpoint.

In the Brexit poll run by First News, children highlighted issues such as: “I am worried that my Polish friend will have to leave our school’’; “My brother may not be able to get the medicine he needs”; “Will I still be able to work in a different European country when I leave school”; “If we are no longer part of the EU will be targeted by more terrorists?”; “By leaving the EU the UK will become poorer and that means more people living in the streets” and many more.

These are all questions that 20 First News readers will be putting to Boris Johnson today during a special children’s lobby at No 10. These types of worries are not limited to children, we will all be interested in the prime minister’s response. Remember, these questions have been widely asked over the last few years by people from all walks of life.

So how should we as parents and responsible adults help our children to make sense of this highly sensitive and emotional issue?

As we know, children are switched on. They hear things we assume they haven’t and often interpret things in a far more mature way than we’d perhaps expect. They also have their own views and, in the majority of cases, are more than capable of making up their own minds.

I feel strongly that our job is to equip children with the facts as much as we can, rather than focusing on telling them our own point of view. In order to develop critical thinking skills, children need to learn to weigh up arguments, consider both sides and see things from different perspectives.

Anxious children need to be reassured, not in an "everything will be fine, don’t be silly" sort of way – but by empowering them to consider the facts for themselves and gain reassurance by way of seeing the fuller picture.

The thing with Brexit is that none of us really know the answer to many of the questions, despite leaving day being practically upon us. Tell your children this but encourage them not to take every scaremongering headline at face value.

It’s hugely encouraging that Johnson is spending time speaking with children on this very busy day. He clearly recognises that they are the generation that will be most affected by Brexit and deserve to have their voices heard and concerns addressed.

It is now time to put four years of division and speculation behind us. Let’s take on Britain’s new chapter with the positive mental attitude that makes Britain great and put a spring back in our step – after all, spring really is just around the corner!

Nicky Cox is editor of First News, the UK's newspaper for kids