April 21, 2020

Many Kids in Rural U.S. Are All Too Familiar With Handguns

MONDAY, Feb. 24, 2020 -- About one-third of boys and 10% of girls in rural U.S. communities have carried a handgun, a new study finds. Many started carrying as early as sixth grade.

This study "provides evidence that youth handgun carrying in these settings is not uncommon," said lead author Dr. Ali Rowhani-Rahbar. He is an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health.

April 20, 2020

All That Social Media Hasn't Hurt Kids' Social Skills, Study Finds

FRIDAY, April 17, 2020 -- Today's youngsters are as socially skilled as previous generations, despite concerns about their heavy use of technology, like smartphones and social media, new research shows.

The researchers compared teacher and parent evaluations of more than 19,000 U.S. children who started kindergarten in 1998 -- six years before Facebook appeared -- with more than 13,000 who began school in 2010. That's when the first iPad came on the market.

March 18, 2020

Another Study Finds COVID-19 Typically Mild for Kids

TUESDAY, March 17, 2020 -- New research adds to evidence that children infected with COVID-19 have less severe symptoms than adults with the coronavirus.

Researchers analyzed the cases of 731 children in China with laboratory test-confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 1,412 children who were suspected of having COVID-19.

March 18, 2020

Many Parents Delay Telling Kids About Inappropriate Touching: Poll

MONDAY, March 16, 2020 -- Many American parents haven't talked with their young children about inappropriate touching, a new poll finds.

Experts recommend starting that discussion during a child's preschool years, but the nationwide poll of more than 1,100 parents of 2- to 9-year-olds found that less than half of parents of preschoolers and only one-quarter of those with elementary school-age children had had such talks.