Health & Parenting News & Features

Young adults raised by lesbian moms are faring as well as -- or even better than -- other U.S. kids their age, according to the largest, longest-running study to track child development in these families.

More Social Media Time Raises Cyberbullying Risk By Robert PreidtHealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, July 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- If your teen spends a lot of time on social media, you might want to get them to cut back due to the risk of cyberbullying, new research suggests.Researchers surveyed more than 12,000 teens in Germany, Poland and Romania and found those who used social network sites for more than two hours a day were at increased risk for cyberbullying."This is an important finding which challenges past research suggesting that simply having, rather than excessive use of, a social

Your Tough Childhood Can Hurt Your Kids Later By Amy NortonHealthDay Reporter MONDAY, July 9, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- When a parent has suffered abuse or other adversities as a child, their children may be more prone to mood and behavior problems, a new study suggests.Their kids were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). And they were four times as likely to have been diagnosed with any mental health disorder.The findings imply that the impact of childhood traumas can stretch across generations, the researchers said.Parents' own mental health seemed to partly explain

Kids of Gay Parents Don't Struggle More Socially By Robert PreidtHealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, July 6, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Children of same-sex parents are not more likely to suffer behavioral or social problems, Italian researchers say.The new study included children, aged 3 to 11, of 195 gay or lesbian parents and 195 heterosexual parents in Italy.Children of same-sex parents had fewer reported difficulties than children of different-sex parents, but scores were in the normal range for both groups, according to the report.Overall, in both groups, adults who felt less competent as parents, were less satisfied in their

July Is Peak Time for Illness From Feces in Pools By E.J. MundellHealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, June 28, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Is it safe to go in the water this summer? Not if microscopic germs like E. coli or cryptosporidium are swimming in the pool with you, U.S. health officials warn."These germs make people sick when they swallow water contaminated with poop," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated frankly in a news release on Thursday.The statement accompanied a new report on 140 outbreaks of "untreated recreational water" that sickened nearly 5,000 people and killed

Parents who take refuge in their smartphones when their kids throw a tantrum may, in the long run, make matters worse, a new study suggests.

While the researchers only found an association, rather than a cause-and-effect link, they determined that 2-year-olds exposed to this kind of parenting ended up less able to regulate their own emotions and behavior by age 5. That upped the risk for emotional problems at age 10.

While most parents said they would report a ride operator who appeared impaired by alcohol or drugs, less than half said they would report a ride operator who used a cellphone while operating a ride.

The survey revealed that 74 percent of respondents did not approve of spanking, and 78 percent said spanking never or rarely leads to better behavior.

In general, parents were more lenient about letting their own kids see that kind of violence, versus "unjustified," random violence.

Among parents who smoke cigarettes, pot use increased from 11 percent in 2002 to over 17 percent in 2015, the researchers found.

The annual rate of exposures skyrocketed by nearly 1,400 percent from 2012 to 2015, then fell by 20 percent from 2015 to 2016, the researchers said.

The new review looks back at more than 40 investigations conducted worldwide between 1991 and 2016. It concludes that -- like other types of addiction -- internet gaming disorder is a complex condition that arises when fun morphs into a loss of control, turning into an obsession.

The study found that 2-year-olds who engaged in a physical activity -- like crawling through a tunnel or playing ball -- did better on a test of mental flexibility than did toddlers who were left to play video games on their own.

When the children in the program were evaluated a year and a half after the program ended, they maintained the behavior and attention skills they gained during the program, Mendelsohn said.

In their crash tests with several rear-facing seats, all of the seats were effective when used correctly, the investigators found.

The study is the first to link newborn heart defects to heart disease in moms. And experts said the reasons for the findings are unclear.

Graco is recalling a highchair exclusively sold at Walmart for a potential fall hazard.

Sexting between teenagers is increasing with the widespread use of camera-equipped smartphones and computers, said Sheri Madigan, lead researcher of the new report.

Access to firearms in a home triples suicide risk among family members and doubles their risk of being murdered, according to a 2014 evidence review that combined data from 16 previous studies.

Facebook should scrap its Messenger Kids app because it could pose health and development risks, 19 groups say in a letter to be sent Tuesday to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

A description of the survey methodology for the WebMD/Medscape survey "Preparing for College: The Mental Health Gap."

Teens are more stressed and anxious than in the past, yet their parents will send many off to college with little thought about the mental health issues they might face while there, according to a new WebMD/Medscape survey.

There have been 39 reported cases of teens intentionally ingesting laundry pods during the first 15 days of 2018, poison control center statistics show.

Analyzing data from the states, the CDC found that parents continue to practice unsafe habits that have been associated with sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).