What War Is Doing to Your Child’s Mind

According to global estimates, over 473 million children – one in five worldwide – are currently living in conflict zones. The scale is staggering, but the impact is deeply personal.

In Gaza, tens of thousands of children have been killed, and many more injured or displaced. In Ukraine, thousands have been killed or injured, with over 19,000 reportedly deported from their homes. In Sudan, the crisis has become the largest child displacement emergency in the world, with millions out of school and in urgent need of aid.

It would be incompetent not to acknowledge “forgotten wars” – from Sudan to Ethiopia, and the continued recruitment of child soldiers across parts of West Africa.

Closer to home, in Kenya’s North Rift, banditry has displaced families, shut down schools for years, and left children growing up in instability rather than safety.

We remember the story of Ian Baraka, a seven-year-old boy whose face was shattered by a bandit bullet in December 2023. He later underwent groundbreaking nine-hour reconstructive surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), hailed as a global medical milestone. His mother, who raised him alone after his father left following the attack, described his recovery as a miracle.

Ian is now preparing to return to school.

War dismantles the protective structures of childhood – family, school, and routine. In some conflict zones, up to 90% of children are out of school. Girls are often forced into early marriages or domestic roles. Boys may be pushed into armed groups or struggle to reintegrate after exposure to violence. This is what experts describe as a “lost generation.”

What War Does to a Child’s Brain

When a child is exposed to violence, fear, or constant uncertainty, their body produces high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Over time, this creates what experts call “toxic stress.”

According to organisations such as Save the Children, prolonged exposure to toxic stress can physically alter a child’s brain development – disrupting how they think, feel, and respond to the world. The prefrontal cortex (responsible for decision-making and learning) becomes less active. The amygdala (the brain’s fear centre) becomes overactive.

The result is a child who is always in a fight, flight, or freeze state, even when no immediate danger is present. Furthermore, research published in Impact of War on Children and Imperative to End War (PMC) shows that children exposed to conflict are at significantly higher risk of:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Depression and severe anxiety
• Emotional withdrawal or numbing
• Aggression and sudden behavioural changes
• Psychosomatic symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, or limb pain

What may appear as misbehaviour is often a child’s nervous system trying to survive.

Fighting War From a Sofa at Home

But what about the child who is not in a war zone?

Today’s children are growing up in a world of constant exposure. War is livestreamed, replayed, and pushed through algorithms. It is no longer distant like it was.

This creates what psychologists and the World Health Organisation (WHO) describe as secondary or vicarious trauma. Even without direct exposure, children may begin to experience:

• Hypervigilance — constantly expecting danger
• Catastrophic thinking — believing the world is unsafe
• Learned helplessness — feeling powerless

You might notice it as trouble sleeping, sudden fearfulness, aggression or withdrawal and “unexplained” physical symptoms like stomach aches. Their nervous systems are reacting to what they see, even if they do not fully understand it.

What Can Parents Do

We cannot stop a war, but you can protect our children by;

Filter what they see – Children do not need graphic images to understand the world. Limit exposure and use age-appropriate explanations.

Create emotional safety – Routine and presence matter. Stability helps regulate a child’s stress response.

Talk – Correct misinformation and reassure them. 

Watch for behavioural changes – Sleep issues, anger, withdrawal, or physical complaints may signal emotional overload.

Let them be children – Play is not trivial, it is therapeutic. Drawing, running, and laughing help regulate stress.

Support wider efforts – Organisations like UNICEF and Save the Children create safe environments where children can play, learn, and begin to heal.

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