Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Parenting

  • Young are hostages to handheld devices

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    New generation of young people risk becoming “hostages to handheld devices” and disengaged from physical activity, a sports charity says. The Youth Sports Trust report suggests that nearly a quarter of children see playing computer games with friends as a form of physical activity. The trust called for technology to be integrated with PE in schools.…

  • Girls under 16 can buy morning-after pill officially

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    Any woman of reproductive age in Europe can be given EllaOne which is effective five days after intercourse says the new licence …reports Asian Lite News. The morning-after pill has been officially licensed for use by girls under 16 for the first time and is set to be available from pharmacies across the country.  EllaOne,…

  • What makes siblings so different

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    Ever wondered what makes siblings so different though they may share a lot of habits? A study finds that the answer lies in the parents’ beliefs about their children — and the comparisons they make may cause differences to be magnified. “Parents’ beliefs about their children, not just their actual parenting, may influence what their…

  • Child abuse rising sharply in Britain

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    England and Wales has  seen number of recorded sexual offences against children rise by a third according to NSPCC. There were 31,000 offences recorded in the year up to April 2014, up 8,500 on the previous year. Figures compiled by the charity show 85 offences were recorded by police every day, with significant rises in…

  • GCSE exam bar raised

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    Under new changes to England’s exams pupils will have to score more highly to gain a “good pass” in their GCSEs. Candidates will have to obtain a Grade 5, equivalent to a low B or high C now, as grading switches to numbers nine to one in exams to be taken first in 2017. The…

  • Large parental age gap ups autism risk

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    Children born to teenage mothers and whose parents have a large gap between their ages are at an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), says a large study involving 5.7 million children in five countries. The study also confirmed that older parents are at higher risk of having children with ASD which is…

  • Why girls are outshining boys at school

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    A feeling of estrangement from school and a belief in traditional gender roles that men should lead women are two possible major causes behind the worldwide trend of boys falling behind at school, says a study….reports Asian Lite News. The researchers noted that according to a recent OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report,…

  • Big B unveils online ecosystem for kids

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    Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has unveiled the new look of worldoo.com, touted as India’s first co-created online ecosystem for children aged six to 12. The initiative was announced at a special unveiling here on Thursday with founder Monish Ghatalia. Launched in association with Amitabh, worldoo.com helps children take their first step onto the world of…

  • Rising porn addiction among Indian youth

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    By Nishant Arora   While young adults across several Western countries are feeling the ill-effects of excessive online porn, the sudden spurt in online access has also put Indian teenagers at such risk, warn behavioural experts. According to sex and behavioural sciences experts, sex is one of those abiding mysteries to which teenagers seek an answer.…

  • Children at risk due to Marijuana legalisation

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    The rate of marijuana exposure among children aged five years and younger rose 147.5 percent from 2006 through 2013 across the US and the rate increased almost 610 percent during the same period in states that legalised marijuana for medical use before 2000, says a study. The results suggest that while considering legalisation of marijuana,…

  • Indian American students Spelling Bee co-winners

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    Two Indian American students have jointly won the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. Vanya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of Chesterfield, Missouri, were declared co-champions on Thursday night, CNN reported. Vanya correctly spelt ” scherenschnitte” and Gokul did likewise with “nunatak”. In this year’s national championship, 285 spellers competed for the…

  • Teenage obesity double bowel cancer risk

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    Being obese or very overweight during teenage may double the risk of developing bowel cancer by the time one is middle-aged, says a new research. Elizabeth Kantor from Harvard School of Public Health in the US with her colleagues tracked the health of 240,000 Swedish men, who had been conscripted into the military between the…

  • NRI kid graduates with three degrees in US

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    An 11-year-old Indian-American kid, has graduated from a Californian college with three associate degrees in math, science and foreign language studies. At an age, when most kids of his age are busy scrolling through iPads or smartphones, this Indian American is different. Tanishq Abraham is now the youngest person to graduate from American River College…

  • Why moms say coo while dads stay cool

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    Fathers speak to their children more like adults and by doing so they might act as a link to the outside world by helping them deal with unfamiliar speech In a study looking at fathers’ verbal interactions with their children, a team of researchers suggests that by tending to avoid baby talk, men may provide…

  • Video games spark Alzheimers

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    Playing action video games such as Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed, would probably lead boys at an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other mental illnesses in later life, according to new research. Previous medical studies and scientists reveal that players navigate the screen using a key area of the brain called the caudate nucleus, which…

  • Schools may fine parents £60 for kids late for class

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    Thousands of schools in Britain are likely to fine parents £60 if their wards are repeatedly late to class, reports said. Councils are warning parents that if their children fail to arrive in time for registration council will not hesitate to levy financial penalties. Parents are further warned that the fines would be doubled if…

  • Parents obesity can harm children

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    Obesity is on the rise and parents are unable to identify this growing ailment among their children. Sedantry lifestyle of parents is the root cause of this problem. Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England pointed out to the danger that fat parents who smoke and live “couch potato lifestyles” by eating snacks have…

  • If your kids throw tantrum,see doctor

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    If your child often throws tantrums, consider it as any other medical problem and do consult your doctor, says a new study. Many parents of children aged 5-17 wouldn’t discuss behavioural or emotional issues that could be signs of potential health problems with their doctors. “Behavioural and emotional health are closely tied to a child’s…

  • Make kids grow veggies

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    One simple way to make children eat more healthy is to help them grow vegetables in the gardens, says a new research. The researchers found that when garden grown vegetables were slipped into school salads, kids were over four times as likely to take a salad. “This is a small study, but it suggests gardens…

  • Antibiotic use may make kids obese

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    The commonly prescribed antibiotics can lead to changes in the gut bacteria of kids and make them vulnerable to infectious diseases, allergies and other autoimmune disorders, and even obesity, later in life, warns a new study. “Over the past year we synthesised hundreds of studies and found evidence of strong correlations between antibiotic use, changes…

  • European kids happiest in friendships

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    Children are more likely to be happy with their friendships in Europe and more likely to be happy with their school lives in Africa, says a global survey from Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. The survey asked 50,000 children in 15 countries about all key aspects of their lives, including their family and home life,…

  • UK 20th in global school rankings

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    Asian countries are in the top five places and African countries at the bottom in he biggest ever global school rankings ever published. Singapore heads the table, followed by Hong Kong, with Ghana at the bottom reports BBC. The UK is in 20th place, among higher achieving European countries, with the US in 28th. The OECD…

  • Virtual school is here

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    By Andres Sanchez Braun  Japan’s first virtual school, where teachers and students interact through avatars on the internet, just opened its cyber-doors, seeking to offer an alternative education to “hikikomori”, the Japanese word referring to sufferers of an anxiety disorder similar to agoraphobia, where people isolate themselves from others. A total of 204 students enrolled…

  • Attention linked with grades

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    Children who display higher levels of inattention at the age of seven are at risk of worse academic outcomes in their secondary examinations, research by an Indian-origin professor in Britain says. The findings have significant implications for parents, teachers and clinicians. Researchers at the Universities of Nottingham and Bristol studied more than 11,000 children as part…

  • Teens and Net Threat

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    Boosting teenagers’ ability to cope with online risks, rather than trying to stop them from using the internet, is a more effective strategy for keeping them safe, says a new study. More resilient teens were less likely to suffer negative effects even if they were frequently online, said the study. Haiyan Jia, post-doctoral scholar in information…

  • Mobile apps make toddlers smarter

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    Using mobile apps in preschool classrooms may help improve early literacy skills and boost school readiness for children, says a new study. “Guided use of an educational app may be a source of motivation and engagement for children in their early years,” said study author Susan Neuman, professor of childhood and literacy education at New…

  • Breastfed kids have higher IQ

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    A long-term study has pointed to a link between breastfeeding and intelligence. The research in Brazil traced nearly 3,500 babies, from all walks of life, and found those who had been breastfed for longer went on to score higher on IQ tests as adults. Experts say the results, while not conclusive, appear to back current…

  • Young girls must reject dangerous attractions

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    The dozens of young Muslim girls who are running off to Syria to become jihadi brides – wives of potential martyrs – are obsessed about a death cult far more sinister than any vampire or zombie fiction has to offer…writes Ustadah Khola Hasan  Despite the age of strident feminism and self-assertiveness, teenage girls are still…

  • Depressed dads spoil childhood

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    Depressed dads turn toddlers into troubled kids…study shows Not just mothers but new fathers who are depressed do not make as much eye contact or smile at their toddlers, leading them to develop troubling behaviour such as hitting, lying, anxiety and sadness as they grow, new research has found. The more disengaged parents are from…

  • Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of the Internet

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    Smartphones and technology can be used for a lot of good, but it is vital to be aware of how it can be used to sabotage a child’s development. Awareness is the first step to halting the aggression and being proactive can save a child from the debilitating consequences of online bullying. Hopefully, with a…

  • Law to end ‘grey area’ in Online child abuse

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    An offence is to be created to stop paedophiles soliciting explicit photos from children online or via mobiles. It is illegal in England and Wales to possess such images but not to ask a child to send them. David Cameron will say there can be no “grey areas”. In a speech later, the prime minister…

  • Parental neglect fuels aggressive behaviour in toddlers

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    Affectionate parenting is linked to low aggression levels and good language development in children, says a new research. The findings indicate that the frustration caused by language delay in children is aggravated by parental neglect which consequently fuels physical aggression in toddlers. So contrary to popular belief, the study by researchers from the University of…

  • Free Childcare in Manchester

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    Manchester City Council is offering free childcare for two-year-olds up to 15 hours per week for eligible parents. “Early education is great for children,” the Council said ina press release. “Children improve their speaking and listening skills, make friends, have fun and are better prepared when it comes to starting school. Parents could use the 15 hours per…

  • Why Teenagers are too busy Tweeting?

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    Does your teenage kid keep tweeting even during his/her studies? This may well be because teenagers are far more sensitive than adults to the immediate effect or reward of their behaviours, says an Indian-origin researcher. “The rewards have a strong, perceptional draw and are more enticing to the teenager,” said Jatin Vaidya, a professor of…

  • Credit goes to Childhood mentor

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    Childhood mentor your ticket to rewarding career Having a mentor early in life can lead you to better personal and financial life in the future, says a study.Young people who have had mentors are more likely to find work early in their careers that gives them more responsibility and autonomy – ultimately putting them on…

  • Cyber bullying annoy parents

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    Aparajita Gupta says online bullying a growing worry for parents across the world Exposure to the cyber world may have helped children expand their mental horizons but it has many downsides, the latest being cyber bullying. A concerned government and industry stakeholders are now taking steps to spread awareness and educate people to stop this…

  • Cyberbullying is now more common

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    Cyberbullying and exposure to online sites with negative content such as messages of hate or self-harm is a growing problem for the UK’s children, according to a new report from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The report from EU Kids Online, a research programme based at LSE, examines how the UK’s…

  • Violent cartoons and children

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    Shilpa Raina and Mudit Gupta analysing the violent in children’s cartoon series. How violent cartoon shows make children aggressive ? Children are unable to understand the thin line between reality and fiction, say experts who feel violent cartoon shows make them aggressive and less sensitive to pain and suffering.”Children don’t understand that the violence shown…

  • Tales teach children of honesty

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    If you wish to keep your children on the straight and narrow, tell them stories that praise a character’s honesty instead of those that emphasise the negative repercussions of lying, says a study. “The study shows that to promote moral behaviour such as honesty, emphasising the positive outcomes of honesty rather than the negative consequences…

  • FEATURE – SOS Children’s Village

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    Shilpa Raina looks into the life of selfless mothers who are the backbone of SOS Children’s Villages  Every time eight-year-old Rishab (name changed) asks his “mother” how he came into this world, she replies that a fairy gifted him to her. But Sonia Yadav is actually waiting for him to grow up to reveal how…

  • UK schools to skip fried food

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    The British government has launched a new school meal plan to tame the burgeoning obesity crisis in the country. According to the new rules, school meals should include at least one portion of vegetables a day  and no more than two portions of fried food each week. The new regulations will apply from January 2015. The regulations promote…

  • UAE Exchange organises parenting session

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    As a part of their employee engagement program, UAE Exchange had organized a ‘Right Parenting Lifestyle Guidance’ session at their headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The two hour session was conducted by a well-known pediatrician, author , columnist and public speaker Dr. Mandar V. Bichu. Explaining the vision of these sessions, Dr. Bichu told Asian…

  • Fathers Seek Equal Rights

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    Activists seek gender neutral family laws  A group of men’s rights activists, seeking shared parenting in cases of divorce or separation, on Father’s Day Sunday demanded reforms in family laws – to stop the creation of a “fatherless society”. Or else, they said, the day has no relevance for the people. Over 100 activists from the…

  • Busy life hits family quality time

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    Asian Lite, top newspaper for NRIs and Asian diaspora looks in to the struggle to maintain work-life balance Parents from the ‘Globetrotting Generation’ struggling to balance time with kids with time together ,  study reveals. The pressures of modern life are meaning families are getting on average just 169 minutes of quality time together in a…

  • Too much TV bad for kids

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    Is your kid spending too much time in front of the television or playing video games? Researchers have found that heavy use of electronic media and little exercise adversely affect the health of kids, increasing risks for type 2 diabetes and vascular diseases. The highest levels of risk factors were found in children with lowest…