by There is no denying that scientific discoveries and innovation have changed the face of modern parenting. We now have the technology to create human embryos in a laboratory, test them for genetic diseases, and freeze them for use at a later date. We know more than ever about the psychological impact our parenting decisions have on our children, and many of us are consciously doing things differently than our own parents did for us.
Despite all this innovation and knowledge, children still do not come with an instruction manual. There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about how to raise a healthy, happy little human being, and much of it remains shrouded in mystery: When does nurture trump nature? How can a parent know when to step back and when to intervene? Does technology offer a solution to the current problem or the possible cause of a new one?
Parenting is not a science, yet the latest research in the fields of medicine, psychology, education (and others) informs the way we parent, impacting everything from when we introduce potential food allergens to when we allow our children to have their own social media accounts. .
These are some of the things science has taught us about children in 2023.
Physical activity is good for both the psyche and the body of children.
A study from the University of Eastern Finland found that eighth and ninth graders who walked or cycled to school had higher “perceived academic achievement” and enjoyed school more than their peers who used other forms of transportation. transport.
More frequent activity had an even greater positive impact. Students who engaged in free-time physical activity, such as sports practice, for 4 to 6 hours a week were 50% less likely to experience school burnout than their less active peers. They were also almost three times more likely to report high levels of “school enjoyment.”
More screen time for babies is associated with a higher risk of developmental delays.
A study published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Pediatrics found a correlation between the amount of time babies spent in front of a screen at one year of age and their chances of having a developmental delay at ages 2 and 4. . Delays were found at 2 and 4 years. both in the field of communication and in problem solving.
It’s important to note that the study found a correlation between screen time and developmental delays, not a causal relationship. Scientists don’t know if screen time causes such delays. It is possible, for example, that babies who spend more time in front of a screen spend less face-to-face time with attentive caregivers, and this could be contributing to delays in communication or other areas.
Children who have warm, loving relationships with their parents grow up to be kinder people.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge used data collected from more than 10,000 people in the United Kingdom to examine the impact of early relationships with caregivers. The children were followed until age 17, and researchers found that children who had warm, loving relationships with their parents at age 3 grew up with fewer mental health problems. Additionally, these children and adolescents displayed more “prosocial” behaviors, such as kindness, empathy, helping, generosity, and volunteering.
Screen time takes a toll on teens’ brains and can put them at risk for mood disorders.
Children who spent more time in front of screens at ages 9 and 10 were more likely to show symptoms of anxiety at ages 11 and 12, according to a study published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions. Because the researchers looked at the children’s brain images, they were able to identify structural changes in the brain that correlated with these symptoms. The structural changes in brain structure the scientists found shared a pattern with those associated with adolescent alcohol use, suggesting that the way screens impact adolescent brains is similar to that of addictive substances. .
Some children are simply born with bad sleep.
As millions of bleary-eyed parents know all too well, sometimes kids just won’t go to sleep, no matter what you do. This study published in the Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry found that genetic variations that have been linked to insomnia in adults also correlate with insomnia in children. Genetically predisposed children were more likely to have trouble falling asleep or experience frequent awakenings. Parents struggling to get their child to fall asleep or stay asleep can take solace in the fact that genetics, rather than a lack of effort on their part, may be to blame.
Adolescent girls are suffering sexual violence in record numbers.
In February, the Centers for Disease Control released a report highlighting trends in data collected by its Youth Risk Behavior Survey over the past decade. While not all of these trends were negative, the report raised many problematic findings, including that 14% of teenage girls said they had been forced to have sex in the past year. This was the first time in a decade that this number increased. For American Indian and Alaska Native girls, and those who identified as LGBQ+, the number was even higher. (Note that the survey did not provide an option for students to identify as trans.)
The report also documented an increase in the number of girls who experienced “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” and the number of people who attempted suicide. Once again, LGBQ+ youth were at greatest risk.
Talking to babies influences the structure of their brain.
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience in June found a correlation between the amount of speech babies were exposed to and their brain structure. The scientists measured the amount of language the babies were exposed to at home and used brain imaging to examine concentrations of myelin, a substance that covers nerves and facilitates connections. They found that babies who heard their parents and other adults say more words had higher concentrations of myelin in parts of the brain associated with language. While parents may sometimes feel a little silly having one-way conversations with babies, talking to children is how they eventually learn to talk, and we now know that these experiences impact the physical structure of their brains.
Children’s nap patterns are related to their cognitive function.
A group of researchers at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom used the closure of daycare centers during the pandemic to study young children’s natural tendencies to nap. Examining data from 463 children between 8 months and 3 years old, they found a relationship between nap patterns and the child’s cognitive function. Babies with smaller vocabularies and poorer cognitive skills tend to nap more frequently. “Our research shows that the frequency with which a child naps reflects the individual’s cognitive need for it. “Some are more efficient at consolidating information during sleep, so they nap less frequently,” said lead researcher Dr. Teodora Gliga. Researchers advised parents to let children nap as long as they need, noting that reducing naps in children will not improve brain development.
The infant mortality rate in the United States is increasing.
An analysis of infant mortality data from 1999 to 2021 found that the death rate among ages 1 to 19 increased between 2019 and 2020 and again between 2020 and 2021. Dr. Steven H. Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth University , one of the authors of the analysis, told HuffPost that researchers believe the last such surge occurred in 1918, the year of the Spanish flu pandemic.
COVID-19 caused an increase in adult mortality during those same years, but the virus does not explain the increase in child deaths. What are you doing?
“Suicide, homicide, drug overdoses and car accidents,” Woolf said.
Among these figures are evident racial discrepancies. Children, older children, and black children are at much higher risk of dying from homicide, for example.
Access to firearms plays a critical role: virtually all homicides and nearly half of suicides in this age group involve a gun.
Babies can experience consciousness from the moment they are born.
While a baby cannot tell us what it thinks or feels, and no one can remember what it was like to be a baby, we now have evidence of conscious thought in babies. A study published in the journal Trends In Cognitive Sciences found the same markers of consciousness previously identified in adults in brain images of babies. While we may not be able to “read” a baby’s thoughts, these findings suggest that babies do have awareness of their own existence. The study authors noted that these findings may have clinical, ethical and even legal implications. Parents can also experience those first exhausting days and nights with their babies in a new light, knowing that their child is already developing their sense of self.
