Violent Video Games, Unlocked Guns a Dangerous Combo for Kids

FRIDAY, May 31, 2019 -- Shoot 'em up video games might be making your children far too comfortable with how they approach and handle real-life firearms, a new study argues.

Kids who played a version of Minecraft featuring guns were much more likely to handle a happened-upon but unloaded firearm than kids whose Minecraft game featured swords or no weapons at all, researchers found.

How Kids Benefit From Doing Chores

THURSDAY, May 30, 2019 -- Chores. Whether you're an adult or a child, the very word makes any job sound less than fun.

But these everyday tasks make households run, and engaging kids in age-appropriate chores from an early age teaches them invaluable life skills, instills in them a sense of responsibility and boosts self-esteem through accomplishment, according to the experts at the non-profit Understood.org.

Who's Most Likely to Miss School Due to Eczema?

FRIDAY, May 24, 2019 -- Hispanic and black children are more likely to miss school than white children due to the chronic skin condition eczema, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed more than a decade of data on more than 8,000 2- to 17-year-olds enrolled in a national eczema registry. Overall, 3.3% missed six or more days of school over a six-month period.

1 in 5 Kids Don't Strap on Helmets Before Biking

MONDAY, May 20, 2019 -- Many American kids don't don helmets when biking, skateboarding and riding scooters, a troubling new poll finds.

Among more than 1,300 parents surveyed, 18% said their kids never wear helmets while biking, 58% said their kids don't wear helmets while skateboarding, and 61% said their children don't wear helmets when riding scooters, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan.

AHA News: With Humor -- and Brain-Shaped Jell-O -- This Doctor Teaches Kids About Health

TUESDAY, April 23, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- One of the most valuable lessons in pediatrician April Inniss' medical career came from an 8-year-old boy.

Inniss was just out of medical school and was asked to draw blood from the terrified young patient at a Boston hospital. The child was diagnosed with chronic stomach issues, and had a distrust of health care providers.

Video Games Don't Hamper Boys' Social Skills, Study Finds

TUESDAY, April 23, 2019 -- Does playing a lot of video games really jeopardize a boy's ability to make and keep friends?

Maybe not, reports a team of Norwegian and American researchers.