How this Canadian program could help address Australia’s childcare staff shortage, write researchers Marg Rogers, Laura K. Doan and Navjot Bhullar. On Wednesday, federal parliament passed Labor’s bill to reduce childcare fees for many Australian families. More affordable childcare for families is great, but it will not...

Dr Simon Coghlan and Lucy Sparrow look at why violence against animals in video games is ubiquitous. Players can kill or torture non-human animals in various popular games, including Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V. ​The rise of this (increasingly realistic) trend in games – along with...

The proportion of children who are obese and overweight in Australia has plateaued, writes Tim Olds, but we should be wary of the latest Health and Wellbeing report Rising life expectancy is one of the great success stories. If you were born in 1870, you’d expect...

Looking for some movies for those rainy days? Or perhaps the summer heat is too much? Here are a few of our suggested new family movies. You can find reviews on these movies from people with child development expertise at Children and Media Australia. ~ Strange...

Jennifer McCann and Miaobing (Jazzmin) Zheng report that misleading food labels contribute to babies and toddlers eating too much sugar. Australian infants and toddlers are eating unhealthy amounts of sugar. This is mostly because the products marketed and sold by the processed food industry are high...

Michael Nagel looks at the effects of on-screen violence on young people’s brains. One of the questions that parents ask psychologists and educators is whether or not video games and television are ‘bad’ for children? In a rampantly advancing technological society, it seems that almost everyone...

Esperanza Vera-Toscano reports that an increasing number of Australian children are going to private high schools, as new research shows. The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Annual Statistical Report has found an increasing number of students going to public schools over non-government...

Josephine Barbaro and Marie Camin suggest the earlier the better With better awareness and acceptance, approximately one out of every 50 children is receiving an autism diagnosis. More and more families are deciding when to share this information with their child. Some parents worry that doing...

Does it work? Asks researchers Mike Armour, Cecilia Ng and Mathew Leonardi  Endometriosis is a painful condition caused by the presence of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus found outside the uterus. It affects around one in nine women and people assigned female at...

  Dr Sam Tormey explains the first-aid skills needed to treat common injuries in children. Just in time for the summer holidays! Contrary to popular belief, things that go bump in the night are not usually monsters, burglars or ghosts. They are usually toddlers jumping off the...