https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Adults think we know what is best for children. We have responsibility for them—feeding them, clothing them, educating them, protecting them, loving them—but we also assume rights over them, and on their behalf. Adults make rules (including laws and policies) about what children can and cannot do. We expect children to behave according to our rules. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-children-views-rarely-sought.html Social Sciences Sun, 15 Feb 2026 18:00:02 EST news689870186 Adolescents are known for risky behavior, with teenagers in the U.S. more likely than younger children to die from injury. But what's responsible for this uptick in risk-taking around puberty? https://phys.org/news/2026-01-young-chimps-trees-underscore-role.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Jan 2026 12:29:28 EST news687011342 The presence of robots in schools is no longer surprising. How do elementary school children treat humanoid robots? Are they polite to them, and willing to attribute human-like qualities to them? Researchers from SWPS University have shown that in most cases, children treat robots politely, and younger children and girls are more likely to perceive them as possessing human-like qualities. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-polite-robots-schools-prompt-children.html Education Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:30:28 EST news683393401 There has been a lot of focus on the need to teach older children about consent. But parents should not wait until kids are teenagers to talk about appropriate touching or how everyone has the right to say what happens to their body. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-diaper-chore-consent.html Social Sciences Sun, 16 Nov 2025 06:00:02 EST news682336411 A new study finds that while some parents are opposed to the use of AI-generated images in children's stories, most are willing to accept these images if the text is human-authored and the images have been reviewed by educators, librarians or other experts. However, depending on the nature of the stories, parents and children did raise concerns about errors in the illustrations that might encourage unsafe behavior or lack real-world accuracy. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-parents-kids-ai-generated-images.html Social Sciences Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:04 EST news682257602 Human astroviruses are a leading viral cause of the stomach bug—think vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It often impacts young children and older adults, leading to vicious cycles of sickness and malnutrition, particularly for those in low and middle income countries. It's very commonly found in wastewater studies, meaning it's frequently circulating in communities. As of now, there are no vaccines for this virus. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-human-astrovirus-exploits-cell-receptor.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:50:06 EST news681399629 Families with young children are yet again reeling after this week's Four Corners investigation into abuse in the early childhood sector. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ways-kids-body-safety.html Social Sciences Sun, 02 Nov 2025 10:50:01 EST news681126561 Australians are having fewer children than ever. At 1.5 babies per woman, the fertility rate is at a record low. Many attribute this to the cost of having and raising children. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-child-expert-math.html Social Sciences Wed, 29 Oct 2025 11:11:04 EDT news680955061 Climate change is the biggest issue of our time. 2024 marked both the hottest year on record and the highest levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the past two million years. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-climate-crisis-intergenerational-justice-late.html Environment Tue, 28 Oct 2025 10:33:04 EDT news680866381 For most people, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is simply a niche fantasy table-top game. But around tables cluttered with dice, maps and character sheets, players are doing far more than playing. They're engaging in leisure. Serious leisure, to be exact. Sociologists define serious leisure as a hobby that demands skill, commitment and personal fulfillment, and FIU's Emily Messina says D&D fits the bill perfectly. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-dungeons-dragons-game-leisure-expert.html Social Sciences Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:42:04 EDT news680344922 Research from the University of New Hampshire reports that in 2024 there were 5.7 million more childless women of prime child-bearing age than expected given prior patterns—a significant jump from 2.1 million in 2016 and 4.7 million in 2022. This shift in fertility patterns has contributed to 11.8 million fewer births than expected in the past 17 years. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-childless-women.html Social Sciences Tue, 16 Sep 2025 09:30:03 EDT news677232203 Some children at primary school, as they head into a new school year, will find themselves learning alongside children of different ages. Year one and year two might be educated in the same classroom, for instance. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-child-classroom-year-groups.html Education Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:23:04 EDT news677154182 Research shows that early childhood maltreatment is associated with significant delays in social and cognitive development. Unfortunately, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, children under age one face the highest risk of maltreatment, particularly neglect. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-qa-foster-affect-children-school.html Social Sciences Wed, 20 Aug 2025 03:00:01 EDT news674725763 "I love you so much I could eat you up," a mother might say to her child. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-children-literally.html Social Sciences Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:13:17 EDT news673697592 Many parents will be familiar with this situation: your child has a good or even best friend, but you don't like them. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-dont-child-friends.html Social Sciences Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:01:03 EDT news668682061 According to the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, approximately one in six children in the United States have developmental disabilities which include physical, learning, language or behavior-related disabilities. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-importance-inclusion-children-disabilities-classroom.html Education Thu, 29 May 2025 03:00:02 EDT news667557705 Is reading to your kids a bedtime ritual in your home? For many of us, it will be a visceral memory of our own childhoods. Or of the time raising now grown-up children. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-important-aloud-kids.html Social Sciences Sat, 10 May 2025 07:10:01 EDT news666004162 The political and social crisis in Lebanon has forced parents to seek unregulated "shadow" education for their children, a new study shows. The work is published in the journal International Studies in Sociology of Education. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-lebanon-crisis-parents-unregulated-shadow.html Social Sciences Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:18:03 EDT news664553881 The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, from 100 square meters in the 1950s to 236m2 in 2020. The average living space in Australian households is now 84m2 per person. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-australian-houses-larger-sustainable-future.html Environment Tue, 18 Feb 2025 07:54:24 EST news659087656 One of the things children (and parents) may worry about at the start of the new school year is, will I have friends? https://phys.org/news/2025-02-child-friends.html Social Sciences Tue, 04 Feb 2025 11:20:04 EST news657889654 New University of Virginia research is pinpointing when young children begin recognizing what they believe to be unfair treatment in the classroom. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-grade-children-unfair.html Social Sciences Mon, 25 Nov 2024 13:00:05 EST news651762000 Unregulated experts appointed by family courts in England and Wales have caused harm to children by separating them from their mothers and forcing them to live with and have contact with fathers accused of violence and abuse, according to a new study by a UCL researcher. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-unregulated-experts-children-family-courts.html Social Sciences Thu, 14 Nov 2024 13:10:01 EST news650811856 Expecting another child can be both exciting and nerve-racking. Many parents feel more confident the second (or third) time around as they have already experienced the birthing process, the challenges of caring for a newborn and the inevitable sleep deprivation. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-born-child-sibling.html Social Sciences Wed, 06 Nov 2024 11:10:01 EST news650113432 Many Australians are victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-problematic-community-attitudes-child-sexual.html Social Sciences Wed, 23 Oct 2024 11:19:04 EDT news648901141 Young children spend a lot of time using screens: watching television, playing on touchscreen apps, or face timing with grandparents. In fact, research on global screen time guidelines has found that around 75% of children aged up to 2 years use some form of digital media daily, and 64% of children aged 2 to 5 years use it for more than an hour a day. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-child-tv-playing-online-games.html Social Sciences Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:10:01 EDT news648732350 In the 2024 election cycle, voters without children are under the microscope. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-voters-kids-political-spotlight-theyre.html Political science Mon, 30 Sep 2024 14:18:03 EDT news646924681 You've probably heard that cultivating gratitude can boost your happiness. But in marriage and families, it's not just about being more grateful for your loved ones—it's also important to feel appreciated by them. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have previously explored the positive impact of perceived gratitude from romantic partners on couples' quality of relationships. In a new study, they show the benefits of perceived gratitude also apply to parent-child relationships and can promote individuals' mental health. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-family-relationships.html Social Sciences Thu, 08 Aug 2024 15:13:09 EDT news642348783 Future generations will suffer increasingly more from the consequences of climate change than we do today. Presumably, older people with children will be more worried about climate change than those of the same age without children, as they will also factor the remaining lifetime of their offspring into their assessment. Yet, this is not the case, as shown by a recent study by the German Centre of Gerontology. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-threat-posed-climate-year-olds.html Environment Wed, 29 May 2024 16:42:03 EDT news636219721 With winter sports swinging into action, adults around the country have volunteered or been volunteered by others (humorously known as being "volun-told") to coach junior sports teams. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-youve-volun-told-junior-sport.html Social Sciences Thu, 02 May 2024 11:41:04 EDT news633868862 Important decisions are made about a child's life during private law proceedings—but a strikingly large proportion of children are not seen by the professionals involved, and have no voice, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-reveals-children-voice-family-courts.html Social Sciences Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:41:00 EST news627752457