With an upswing of political advertisements and online toxicity, kids may be grappling with anxiety around the U.S presidential elections and parents are wondering how to talk to their kids. 

University of Michigan School of Information associate professor Libby Hemphill, an expert on social media and democracy, recommends focusing conversations around helping them be good citizens. 

"I just keep coming back to how unique it is in America that we get to keep voting and we get to stay engaged and we get to say publicly to our representatives and to our neighbors what we think," Hemphill says. "And helping [kids] practice how to be heard in a useful and productive way so that when they do have a right to vote, they're going to use it well, I think is a good long-term project for parents."

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Read “How to talk to your kids about the election” at NPR. 

Learn more about UMSI associate professor Libby Hemphill by visiting her UMSI profile.