A few days before Halloween, a specialist is sounding the alarm on these three well-known hoaxes which could have consequences for your children… We have warned you!
Halloween is approaching, and with it comes its share of disguises and scary jokes. But be careful: some jokes can leave much deeper marks than a few cries of surprise. Julieta Quesada, emergency doctor, enlightens us on the pranks to ban with the youngest. Indeed, if for adults, Halloween is an opportunity to have fun with the thrill, for children, the line between play and fear can quickly become blurred.
What seems like a simple joke can actually cause a real feeling of terror in a little one. Their brain, still developing, does not interpret the elements around them in the same way, which is why certain Halloween gestures must be avoided at all costs, at the risk of causing serious repercussions. On the social network Tiktok, the expert first indicates that there are two ways to scare a child: “The first is simply to go “boo” and it’s more of a surprise effect. And that’s completely acceptable, because it often makes them laugh.”
On the other hand, it is imperative not to try to be too realistic or to create a certain intensity in the surprise effect. “Putting on makeup, dressing up or using filters to scare your child is different […]it gives them a feeling of terror likely to lead to real trauma, nightmares, sleep disorders, even developmental disorders with regressions and self-esteem problems. warns the professional. In other words, when a child sees his parents in a frightening mask, a disguise or dark makeup, or even a filter intended to frighten, he cannot immediately understand that it is a staging. This can create confusion and visceral anxiety that he will have difficulty alleviating on his own.
The problem isn’t with the idea of Halloween itself, but rather with how some adults choose to interpret it. So, if you want to scare your child, opt for a simple surprise effect. This kind of joke is light enough to provoke laughter, without serious consequences.