New teen accounts on Instagram are a welcome step, but real ‘peace of mind’ requires more, writes Tama Leaver  As Australia and other countries debate the merits of banning kids under 14 from social media, Meta has announced a significant “reimagining” of teenagers’ experience of Instagram. These...

Here are some new books for the middle school readers. Two of them give lots of information about animal conservation and care and two books are for young sports fans, with missing koalas in the mix.                                                                                          Turtle Moon by Hannah Gold, illus. by Levi Pinfold, pub. by HarperCollins...

We asked 5 experts, writes Fron Jackson-Webb One in four Australian children aged two to 17 are classified as above a healthy weight, based on their body mass index (or BMI, which is weight divided by height squared). The Australian College of Nursing says school nurses can...

School bullying is depressingly common, writes Andrew Trounson, but having a group of friends, not just a single “bestie”, may bolster a child’s resilience. Surviving school bullies may be a numbers game. Having a group of friends to rely on rather than a single “best” friend appears...

Researcher Nusrat Homaira looks at what this means and what you can do about it. We may think of air pollution as an outdoor problem caused by car exhaust and smog. But if the air inside our homes is polluted, this can also affect our health. In...

After a parent is killed due to domestic violence, writes Hannah Morrice, children aren’t given enough opportunity to express their opinions on decisions that directly affect their lives In Australia, children’s rights – as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child...

Karley Beckman,  Claire Rogerson and Tiffani Apps look at how kids under 13 use social media.  Earlier this week (September 2024), the federal government announced it is going to introduce a social media ban for children. It hasn’t nominated a minimum age yet, but the focus of...

Doctors are warning Australians not to ignore hay fever symptoms as the allergy season arrives this year. Bupa Clinical Director Dr Tony MacDermott said the caution was most important for asthmatics, as most people with asthma were also susceptible to hay fever. Hay fever affects about 1...

Researchers Susan M. Sawyer and Nandi Vijayakumar look at what brain science tells us. The age at which a child can be arrested, charged and jailed in Australia is back in the spotlight. Last year, the Northern Territory became the first jurisdiction to raise the age of...

Childcare and Common Illnesses: What Parents Need to Know When your child starts attending childcare, it's common to encounter a range of illnesses. From respiratory infections to skin conditions, these illnesses spread quickly among children, who are often in close contact with one another. While it’s...