It’s natural for a parent to want to protect their children and keep them from harm.

But sometimes this understandable desire crosses over into “helicopter parenting,” an overbearing need to be part of a child’s every decision and dilemma.

“A helicopter parent is often fueled by anxiety, and that anxiety can come in different flavors: anxiety for their ...

FRIDAY, August 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Teaching schoolkids to practice mindfulness can boost their mental health — and, maybe, even their grades.

That's the takeaway from a new review of more than three dozen research studies on school-based mindfulness interventions, such as seated or slow-walking meditation. 

In a nutshell, these programs teach kids to pay att...

Troubled transgender students are more likely to turn to school staff than their own parents for support, a new study finds.

Trans teens feeling depressed and anxious are 74% less likely to seek help from parents than from adults at school, compared to ci...

A quality physical education program involves more than just getting kids to move for a set amount of time during the school day, experts say.

PE classes can teach lessons not found in any other classroom, Erika Mundt, a PE teacher at Iowa West City High School in Iowa.

...

A child at the dinner table talks about trouble at school or an argument with a friend, but parents aren't listening: They're checking their smartphones instead.

It's a scenario that plays out millions of times per day across America, and it could be harming the mental health of children, a new study suggests.

Kids ages 9 to 11 who said their parents spent way too much on their smar...

Kids considering suicide after receiving mental health care at a hospital can be helped by automated text messages that help them feel hopeful and supported, a new study finds.

Children receiving the texts as part of a program called Caring Contacts said they felt more positive after receiving the messages.

“Prior research has shown that patients are around 300 times more at r...

Parents are worried that social media and technology will get in the way of schoolkids building meaningful connections with classmates and teachers during the upcoming school year, a new poll finds.

Half of parents (50%) say too much time spent with technology will be their kids’ top challenge in forming positive connections with those around them, say national poll results from the...

Back-to-school can feel like a rushed jumble, as kids leave behind summer fun for the next step in their education.

But there are specific ways parents can help students show up sharper, get young athletes ready to compete, and have anxious kids settled down and ready to learn, experts say.

Prioritize sleep

Kids will have a good start to the school year if the...

Want to be a better, more effective mom or dad? Trying sharing a good laugh with your kid.

New research among folks ages 18 to 45 found many citing humor as one of the reasons they had, and continue to have, a positive relationship with their parents.

“My hope is that people can learn to use humor as an effective parenting tool, not only to diffuse tension but develop resilien...

Using tablets as 'e-babysitters' for toddlers could lead to more tantrums, which in turn can have harried parents trying to calm a child by handing them a tablet, new research shows.

This type of "vicious cycle" played out during the early years of many of the Canadian youngsters tracked in the study.

The bottom line, according to the researchers: "Tablet use in early childhood can ...

The kids are not alright.

New data shows a troubling 8% annual increase in the number of American children ages 8 to 12 who died by suicide, with the sharpest increase seen among girls.

Suicide has now become the fifth leading cause of death among both male and female preteens, report a team led by ...

Boredom is the key emotion behind most teens’ use of Instagram, a new study says.

Teens open the app because they’re bored, then sift through its contents looking for interesting bits to relieve their boredom, researchers report.

Then, bored by slogging through the site’s “content soup,” the teens log off, researchers found.

“We saw teens...

Defiance, tantrums, aggression: All signs of a condition called conduct disorder, which Mental Health America says affects up to 16% of boys and 9% of girls.

Now, research is revealing real differences in the brain structure of children and...

Weighted blankets are trendy items, largely based on the idea that the pressure of a heavy blanket will help a person more easily slip into slumber.

But they do little to help troubled children sleep better, a new study has found.

There was no difference in sleep between weighted and normal blankets among a group of 30 children ages 6 to 15 adopted from foster care in Texas, accordi...

Does advising your teen sometimes feel like talking to the proverbial brick wall?

Don't fret: New research shows that even when your preteen or teen gives your advice a flat "no way," your counsel is probably having an impact.

It may simply be tucked away by your child, ready for use another day.

"The kids are at an age where they're maturing and wanting to make their own de...

The cost to American families of caring for a child with a mental health condition rose by almost a third between 2017 and 2021, a new report finds, to an average $4,361 per year. 

Overall, American families spent an estimated $31 billion in 2021 on child mental health services, which now make up nearly half (about 47%) of all child medical spending, the report found.

The findi...

Teens have a higher risk of self-injury -- deliberately cutting or burning themselves -- if they have a fraught relationship with a struggling parent, a new study shows.

Teenagers were nearly five times more likely to self-injure if, when they were 6, their moms and dads reported stress and discomfort in their role as parents, researchers found.

Teens also had a nearly doubled risk ...

Most parents have experienced it: Your young child wakes up distraught, sure that the nightmare they've just suffered through is real.

Dr. Anis Rehman, an internal medicine specialist and consultant to the Sleep Foundation, says that...

A study of mental health care in Maryland finds an increasing number of children and teens covered by Medicaid are taking multiple psychiatric meds.

This trend towards "polypharmacy" might be happening elsewhere, prior research suggests.

In the new study, Maryland kids ages 17 or younger experienced "a 4% increased odds of psychotropic polypharmacy per year from 2015 to 2020," repor...

Kids are more likely to lie to their parents if their parents have been lying to them -- even with positive "white"lies, a new study shows.

But researchers found a difference between encouraging white lies and "instrumental"lies that involve false threats or promises.

Any sort of instrumental lie -- "Behave or I'll call the police"or "Finish your homework and we'll go to Disneyland"...

Kids with emotional problems or ADHD can find the holidays a very challenging time, as all the routines that provide a sense of order are jumbled in a whirl of activities.

The kids are home from school and restless, their parents are hauling them along to Christmas shopping and holiday gatherings, and they're eating lots of heavy meals and sugary treats.

But there are ways to limit ...

More patience. Less time on phones. Healthier habits. Better grades.

Parents and kids alike are making resolutions for the New Year, setting personal goals for themselves in 2024, a new poll has found.

Nearly three in four parents say they will adopt a resolution or personal goal in the coming year, and over half say their tween or teen child will do the same, according to the Unive...

A pregnant woman's mental health might have profound effects on the mind of her unborn child, a new evidence review warns.

Children appear to be at higher risk for mental health and behavior issues if their moms were highly stressed, anxious or depressed during pregnancy, researchers report.

In particular, children were more likely to have ADHD symptoms or exhibit aggressive or host...

Whether or not you have loved ones in the Middle East, the horrors of the violence and suffering in Israel and Gaza are heart-wrenching and difficult to bear.

"It's important to be informed, but don't stress yourself out," said Dr. Gary Small, chair of psychiat...

As kids grow up, their desire to venture out on their own and gain some independence is natural.

And a new national poll suggests that most parents say they're fine with that.

The problem? The poll highlights a pretty big gap between what parents say and what they actually allow, with many choosing to keep their kids on a pretty short leash.

"We wanted to see if paren...

Raging wildfires, droughts, floods and record-breaking heat brought on by climate change are taking a toll on kids' already fragile mental health.

This is the main message from a new report by the American Psychological Association and the climate advocacy organization ecoAme...

Young children who are close to their parents are more likely to grow up to be kind, caring and considerate. These kids may also have fewer mental health problems during early childhood and adolescence, a new study finds.

By contrast, children whose early relationships with their parents are emotionally strained or abusive are less likely to become thoughtful and generous.

"Taking t...

As many as 1 in 4 teens with autism may be undiagnosed, new research suggests.

"Autism is much more prevalent than people assume,"said lead researcher Walter Zahorodny, an associate professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.

The