Children | Common News Update

Apr202019 by adminNo Comments

Children judge people based on facial features, just like adults

April 19 (UPI) -- Children judge and adjust their behavior toward people based on the person's facial features, just like adults do. Previous studies have detailed the way various facial features -- the tilt of a person's mouth or distance between a person's eyes, for example -- influence a person's perception and expectations of another person. These preconceived notions, formed in an instant, can affect how people behave toward the person. Research suggests these subconscious prejudices can influence the hiring process, voting decisions or even jury deliberations. But until now, psychologists had only studied such prejudices in adults. The latest study, published this week in the journal Developmental Psychology, suggests children as young as five also judge people based on facial feat...

Mar312019 by adminNo Comments

Ask children about social media use, psychiatrists urged

Health

Psychiatrists are being urged to ask children with mental health issues how long they spend online and what they use social media for.Questions about technology should be a routine part of assessments, the Royal College of Psychiatrists says. It is concerned about how time spent online impacts on mood, sleep, diet and behaviour.The government is expected to announce plans to regulate social media companies soon.The College's advice comes as evidence grows of a possible link between harmful content or time spent online, and poor mental health.It is planning to publish a report later this year about its stance on technology use and children's mental health, which will include recommendations for parents, children and doctors.When assessing children, psychia...

Mar242019 by adminNo Comments

Starving Venezuelan children forced to feed off rubbish dumps

World

By Alex Crawford, special correspondent in Maracaibo, Venezuela The swarm of flies gives the game away."Food," one of the starving children calls out at a rubbish dump in Venezuela's second city, Maracaibo. We see several small hands dig into a bin bag and stuff its contents into their mouths.What they descend on has disintegrated so much in the sweltering heat that we cannot make out what it is.One chunk looks like a soggy bit of bread, while another may have been a half-eaten plantain. One boy gnaws and sucks at an animal bone. Venezuelan...

Mar142019 by adminNo Comments

The last ISIS families – and the American children still trapped: Reporter's Notebook

World

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reporter James Longman's account of the families left in ISIS' last foothold. ABC News: International

Feb262019 by adminNo Comments

Children 'failed in first 1,000 days', says MPs

Health

Families in England need more support in the early years to give children the best start in life, MPs say.The Health and Social Care Committee said the first 1,000 days were critical, but not enough was done.It warned cuts to children's centres, health visiting and services to support parents had left families vulnerable.Nearly a third of children are not "school ready" by the time they reach five, because they have not developed the necessary skills and behaviours.The cross-party group wants the government to pay for extra contact with health visitors beyond the age of two-and-a-half.The MPs pointed to the approach taken elsewhere in the UK - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all fund more than the minimum of five visits provided in England. Improving...