Recent world events have caught up with marketing manager Elaine Lim’s family – she has had to address her children’s concerns about terrorism.

When her 13-year-old daughter attended a concert last year, there were unfounded whispers in the girl’s social circle about the show venue being unsafe. Her 11-year- old son says he is “scared of terrorists” and is glad that Singapore has not experienced the terror attacks he has seen on the news.

… For kids who are too young to understand the topic, the conversation can be similar to parental instructions not to talk to strangers, says Dr Bilveer Singh, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore who researches security issues.

… Dr Singh adds: “There is a need for parents to talk to their children about terrorism. If not, they may think there is something taboo about it and may eventually get influenced by other sources that may be detrimental.”

Encouraging their children to turn to them means parents can correct them if they hear “bigoted ideas”, says Dr Singh, who is also an adjunct senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University.