BALTIMORE — The youngest victim in last weekend's Baltimore mass shooting was 13-years-old.
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13, and already a gunshot victim. Half of the 30 victims of that weekend mass shooting are under the age of 18.
Recent mass shootings - in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington and Salisbury - each included juvenile victims.
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"Those adverse childhood experiences can have an impact in the long-term," said Dr. Carol Vidal, a child psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins.
Vidal tells WMAR children who go through trauma early in life can develop physical problems, too.
"People who tend to have more adverse childhood experiences have more trouble with cardiovascular disorders, cancer diagnoses and even a shorter lifespan," said Vidal.
Everyone reacts differently, Vidal notes. But in a few days, a child can develop acute stress disorder; or, after a month, PTSD - with symptoms hurting a child's ability to function.
For kids not directly a witness to, or involved in, an incident of gun violence - scores more can see it on the web. Vidal suggests reducing their exposure to harmful media - like the videos of these incidents which spread on their smartphones.
"Limiting the use of smartphones for the very little ones, limiting some of the applications, and being more forward about allowing the adolescent the child that you're going to be there if they need to talk about it," said Vidal.
Vidal said to validate the way children feel - but to be careful not to raise their apprehension.
"You should be not minimizing the feelings they might be experiencing, because this is a serious thing, and they may have strong feelings about it - we as parents should just try to stay calm, and not put our anxiety on the children," said Vidal.
For mental health concerns, Vidal said, seek therapy if your child needs it.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 9-8-8.
