kids

Facebook, Twitter and all the other social media sites have changed the way young people interact with each other, but according to a survey from Poll Position, the majority of Americans don’t think this has been a change for the better.

Is your kid hooked on video games? New research says simple brain-wiring may be to blame. Brain scans conducted on 154 teenagers who played video games at least nine hours per week found the structure and activity in the part of the brain associated with reward processing was larger than in those who played less often.

A new study of 8,000 kids published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health finds those who had high IQs were more likely to use certain illicit drugs as they aged. Smarter girls in particular may tend to experiment with marijuana, cocaine, and other illicit drugs later on.

In a country with a soaring childhood obesity rate, doctors on an expert panel appointed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics announced Friday that children should be tested for high cholesterol as early as age 9.

A new review of previous research indicates that there could be a correlation between the amount of time children spend outside and nearsightedness. Researchers analyzed the results of eight different studies, involving more than 10,000 participants, and found that children who are nearsighted spend an average of 3.7 fewer hours a week outside than children with normal vision.

Pediatricians and development experts have strongly urged parents, once again, to limit the amount of television their young children watch. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a recommendation to all parents of children under 2 years old Tuesday. It stressed that any time spent in front of a video screen provides no educational benefits for children under age 2 and can even delay developm

Naming a child is usually the first big decision a new parent makes, and one that almost one and ten would like to do be able to do again.

In a landmark new law, the state of California has prohibited all children under 14 from using tanning beds. State residents between the ages of 14 and 18 will only be allowed to tan under artificial light if they provide proof of parental consent.

Kids always look forward to trick-or-treating on Halloween, but a new study from the Centers for Disease and Prevention may give some parents pause. The CDC reports children are four times more likely to be hit by cars on October 31 than on any other day of the year — probably not terribly surprising, given the increase in the number of kids who are out and about on Halloween.

New research acquired from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) suggests that a nurturing mother can help insulate her children from a lifetime of health problems.