It’s undeniable that scientific discoveries and innovations are changing the face of modern parenting. We now have the technology to create human embryos in the laboratory, test them for genetic diseases, and freeze them for later use. We know more than ever the psychological impact our parenting choices have on our children, and many of us consciously do things differently than our own parents did with us.
Despite all this innovation and understanding, kids still don’t come with an instruction manual. There’s a lot of conflicting advice on how to raise a healthy, happy little person, and much of it remains a mystery: When does nurture trump nature? How does a parent know when to step back and when to intervene? Does the technology provide a solution to an existing problem or the potential cause of a new problem?
Parenting isn’t a science, but the latest research in medicine, psychology, education (and others) informs the way we parent and influences everything from when we introduce potential food allergens to when we start our kids with their own social media accounts. .
Here are some of the things science teaches us about children in 2023.
Physical activity is beneficial to children’s souls as well as their bodies.
A study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland found that 8th and 9th grade students who walk or cycle to school have higher “perceived academic performance” and enjoy school more than their peers who use other means of transportation.
More frequent activity had an even greater positive impact. Students who engaged in physical activities such as sports practices for 4-6 hours per week in their free time were 50% less likely to experience burnout at school than their less active peers. They were also almost three times more likely to report high levels of “enjoying school.”
For babies, more screen time is associated with an increased risk of developmental delays.
A study published in the journal JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Pediatrics found a correlation between the amount of screen time babies get at age 1 and their likelihood of experiencing developmental delays at ages 2 and 4. Delays were found at ages 2 and 4 in both the communication and problem-solving areas.
It’s important to note that the study found a correlation, not a causal relationship, between screen time and developmental delays. Scientists don’t know whether screen time itself causes such delays. For example, babies who spend more screen time may have less face-to-face time with attentive caregivers, which may contribute to delays in communication or other areas.
Children who have warm and loving relationships with their parents grow up to be better people.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge used data collected from more than 10,000 people in the UK 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 had fewer mental health problems as they grew up. Additionally, these children and youth exhibited more “pro-social” behaviors such as kindness, empathy, helpfulness, generosity, and volunteerism.
Screen time affects teenagers’ 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. By looking at children’s brain imaging, the researchers were able to detect structural changes in the brain associated with these symptoms. The structural brain structure changes the scientists found share the same pattern as those associated with youth alcohol consumption; This suggests that the way screens affect teenagers’ brains is similar to addictive substances.
Some children are born poor sleepers.
As millions of proud parents know all too well, sometimes kids just won’t sleep no matter what you do. This study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that genetic variations linked to insomnia in adults were also associated with insomnia in children. Genetically predisposed children were more likely to have difficulty falling asleep or experience frequent awakenings. Parents who struggle to get their children to fall or stay asleep can take solace in the fact that genetics, rather than a lack of their own efforts, may be to blame.
Young girls are being subjected to sexual violence in record numbers.
In February, the Centers for Disease Control released a report highlighting trends in data collected over the past decade by the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. While not all of these trends are negative, the report uncovered several troubling findings, including 14% of teenage girls who said they had been coerced into having sex in the past year. This marked the first time in a decade that this number had increased. The number was even higher for Native American and Alaska Native girls and those who identified as LGBTQ+. (Note that the survey did not give students the option to identify as transgender.)
The report also documented an increase in the number of girls experiencing “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” and attempting suicide. LGBTQ+ youth were again at higher risk.
Talking to babies affects the structure of their brains.
A study published in June in the Journal of Neuroscience found a correlation between the amount of talk babies are exposed to and their brain structure. Scientists measured the amount of language babies were exposed to at home and used brain imaging to examine concentrations of myelin, a substance that coats nerves and facilitates connections. They found that babies who heard their parents and other adults say more words had higher concentrations of myelin in the parts of their brains associated with language. Although parents can sometimes feel a little silly having one-way conversations with babies, talking to children eventually helps them learn to talk, and we now know that these experiences affect the physical structure of their brains.
Children’s sleep patterns are related to their cognitive functions.
A group of researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom took advantage of the closure of child care centers during the pandemic to study the natural sleep tendencies of young children. By examining data from 463 children ages 8 months to 3 years, they found a relationship between sleep patterns and the child’s cognitive function. Babies with smaller vocabularies and poorer cognitive skills tend to nap more frequently. “Our research shows that how often a child naps reflects their individual cognitive needs. Some are more efficient at consolidating information during sleep, so they nap less,” said lead researcher Dr. Teodora Gliga. While researchers recommend that parents let their children nap as long as they need it, children He noted that reducing their sleep would not improve brain development.
Child mortality rate is increasing in the USA.
Analysis of child mortality data for the period 1999-2021 revealed that the mortality rate for ages 1-19 increased between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. One of the authors of the analysis, Dr. from Virginia Commonwealth University. Steven H. Woolf told HuffPost that researchers believe the last such spike occurred in 1918, the year of the Spanish flu pandemic.
COVID-19 caused an increase in adult mortality in the same years, but the virus does not explain the increase in child deaths. Why?
“Suicide, murder, drug overdoses and car accidents,” Woolf said.
There are also notable racial disparities among these numbers. For example, boys, older children, and Black children are at much higher risk of dying from homicide.
Access to firearms plays a critical role; Almost all homicides and nearly half of suicides in this age group are gun-related.
Babies can experience consciousness from the moment they are born.
Although a baby cannot tell us what it is thinking or feeling, and no one can remember what it is 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 in infant brain imaging that were previously identified in adults. Although we cannot “read” a baby’s thoughts, these findings show that babies have an awareness of their own existence. The authors of the study pointed out that these findings could have clinical, ethical and even legal implications. Parents can also experience those early, tiring days and nights with their baby in a new light, knowing that their child is already developing a sense of self.