By Adam Hussain, Travis Kuhn, and Sam Dee
Communication of death is one of the most controversial topics in today’s media. Whether it’s the brutalized pseudorealism that is presented in most prime-time media or the avoidance presented in family-friendly contexts, the inaccuracy of a common death as portrayed in most mediums is undeniable. This lack of concern for reality is amplified when the texts are intended for an audience of children. It is important as caregivers, brothers, and sisters to understand how death is portrayed to our youth through media in order to understand how we can approach the topic ourselves considering their baseline understanding. The concept of death is delivered to children through three main mediums – movies, television, and books.
Movies are arguably the most impactful medium in children’s media. While other mediums have more hours dedicated to them by children – such as internet use and TV – movies are the least likely to be consumed while multitasking (Watson, 2019). Disney is the undisputed champion when it comes to churning out box-office hits – as apparent in the barchart (below) presented by the Wall Street Journal demonstrating the market shares of the box office across major film studios.
Disney has always traditionally targeted children as their primary audience, and in doing so has set the standard for communicating all kinds of messages to the youth – including death. One content analysis showed that in 57 Disney movies released between movies, there were 71 character deaths (Tenzek and Nickels, 2017). Another content analysis compiling of Disney films between 1937-2016 showed that the deaths became less likely to be explicit, on screen happenings in recent years – likely due to a cultural shift in what is appropriate for kids to see (Graham, Yuhas, and Roman 2018). Disney also occasionally showed deaths as vaguely permanent reversible – with instances such as in The Lion King (1994-2019) Mufasa coming back to help guide Simba, or Gramma Tala in Moana (2016) returning as a manta ray being cited. While these characters aren’t being revived in a literal sense, the concept of someone dying and returning in any way can be hard to separate from reality when it comes to children. This “vagueness of death” is the primary issue with the way movies portray death to the youth.
Children’s television shows address death in a variety of ways. The concept of death is unclear and undeveloped in the minds of young children. A majority of children under the age of 5 do not understand that death is final and inevitable (Grollman, 1990; Speece & Brent, 1984). Children ages 5-9 years understand death is final, but often only attribute death to older adults. Some television shows avoid the topic entirely, and others add elements of fantasy allowing the characters to somehow come back to life. However, shows like Sesame Street have actually addressed the topic. On the episode entitled, “Farewell Mr. Hooper,” Big Bird comes to the realization that Mr. Hooper has died and will not be returning. At first he is confused and doesn’t understand the permanence of Mr. Hooper’s death, but then his friends explain to him carefully that Mr. Hooper won’t be returning. This is one of the few shows in which death is accurately described to children.
Through literature, concepts can be relayed to children that they otherwise may not understand. Many children’s books include pictures that draw a child’s attention and keep them engaged. Studies show that reading books to children is the most effective, and essential tool for cognitive skill investment by parents. Death is a complex matter for children to attempt to wrap their minds around. Many parents try to explain death to their children through the form of books, because this is the same way many children learn basic knowledge. This is how they learn their ABC’s, colors, animals, and more. Therefore, this is commonly thought of as the best way to teach a child about death. Most children’s first death will be the death of their pet or an animal. Consequently, many children’s books utilize animals as a way of portraying an end of life matter. Books also use religion as a way to explain death, and state that their loved one who died is now in “heaven”. The pictures in children’s books are also essential to their learning and understanding. Many images in the books are colorful, large, and simple shapes that make it easy for the children to understand and follow. It also allows the child to stay engaged with the literature as the parent is reading. It promotes creativity and understanding. It helps the child understand the information being relayed when they can’t comprehend words well. Through books, children are able to develop emotional intelligence and begin to understand and create meaning about complex subjects, like death.
Regardless of medium, death is a notoriously difficult thing to accurately, yet sensitively portray to children. It is important to know that while some exposure can be effective, media cannot teach children how to deal with death alone in a healthy manner. Regardless of whether it is movies, television, or books that are trying to explain how the end of life works, the only true teachers are experience and death itself.
SOURCES:
Kalb, Guyonne, and Jan C. van Ours. “Reading to Young Children: A Head-Start in Life?” Economics of Education Review, Pergamon, 5 Feb. 2014,
“The Treatment of Death in Children’s Literature.” Children’s Literature Review, Encyclopedia.com, 24 Nov. 2019,
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Fuller, Steve. Topic: Children and Media in the U.S. https://www.statista.com/topics/3980/children-and-media-in-the-us/.
Graham, James A., et al. “Death and Coping Mechanisms in Animated Disney Movies: A Content Analysis of Disney Films (1937–2003) and Disney/Pixar Films (2003–2016).” Social Sciences, vol. 7, no. 10, 2018, p. 199., doi:10.3390/socsci7100199.
Tenzek, Kelly E., and Bonnie M. Nickels. “End-of-Life in Disney and Pixar Films: An Opportunity for Engaging in Difficult Conversation.” OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying, vol. 80, no. 1, 2017, pp. 49–68., doi:10.1177/0030222817726258.
Yang, S., & Park, S. (2017). A Sociocultural Approach to Children’s Perceptions of Death and Loss. OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying, 76(1), 53–77.
Speece, M. W., & Brent, S. B. (1984). Children’s Understanding of Death: A Review of Three Components of a Death Concept. Child Development, 55(5), 1671-1686.
Robertson, K. (1993) Talking About Death: A Dialogue Between Parent and Child. By Earl A. Grollman, The Hospice Journal, 9(1), 106-108.
Dear Death... 