34 h. ago Screen time limits for children are no longer enough, new US report finds

Experts say guidance is ‘refreshing’ as it puts more emphasis on responsibility of companies and societyThe American Academy of Pediatrics has released new guidance on how to protect children’s mental health in the digital age – emphasizing the need for systemic changes as well as parental engagement that goes beyond limiting screen time.Jessica Schleider, an adolescent psychologist and professor at Northwestern University whose lab develops digital mental health interventions, said the new policy statement was “really refreshing to see”, because it contrasts with conventional wisdom that places too much of the safety burden on individual parents. Common advice like “limiting individual youth access to screens”, or asking parents to keep tabs on their children’s every digital movement is “not only impossible, but for adolescents in particular, potentially invasive”, Schleider said. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Great Ormond Street apologises to families of children harmed by surgeon Yaser Jabbar ahead of report

Children being treated at the hospital suffered severe harm under the care of the disgraced orthopaedic surgeon

Society

4 d. ago Obesity, rotting teeth and poor mental health British children are among ‘most unhealthy’ in EU

BRITISH kids are some of the least healthy in Europe, warn MPs who branded it a “source of shame”. A report by the Commons Health Committee said that compared to the continent UK tots have high and rising levels of obesity, rotting teeth, poor mental health and asthma. It added that vaccine uptake is too...

Society

2 w. ago Amy Schumer shares parenting rules for raising young son Gene

Actor and comedian Amy Schumer has revealed she never lets her son play with her phone or watch YouTube, as she joined Oprah Winfrey to discuss the importance of limiting children’s screen time.

Politics

3 w. ago Inside Meghan and Harry's 'mysterious plot' for Archie and Lilibet as 'pal slams move'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have always vowed to protect the privacy of their two young children, but now a new report claims there's a plan in place for Archie and Lilibet as they get older. Experts weigh in on the sudden shift

Politics

3 w. ago The perfect evening routine: how to prepare for bed – from blue light to baths

Whether you go for an easy jog or actively limit your screen time, studies show there are tried and tested ways to wind down and be sure of a good night’s sleep• Sign up here to get the whole series straight to your inboxAfter a hard day at work, the last thing you want to do is fritter away your precious downtime slumped on the sofa in a dazed doomscroll. Yet, in the absence of a better plan, it happens with depressing ease. How we spend the hours between shutting down the laptop and slipping under the duvet affects sleep quality, mood and how restored we feel the next day. So, how can we reclaim those lost evenings?According to Jason Ellis, a professor of psychology at Northumbria University and director of the Northumbria centre for sleep research, establishing a regular end-of-day routine sends a signal to your brain that you are making a shift between work mode, and rest and recreation. “It’s about putting the day to bed before you go to bed,” he says. Gretchen Rubin – an autho...

Politics

3 w. ago Rape hell of boys, girls and disabled children: Report details horrors in DR Congo where sexual violence on adolescents is 'entrenched' with 35,000 cases in nine months

The scale of abuse has been described as endemic, systemic, and rapidly worsening, according to a UNICEF report released today.

Events