Few parents feel entirely comfortable with their children meeting their online acquaintances in real life. But a new study published in the pioneering Journal of Children and Media sets out to put the risks and benefits of such meetings in perspective.

Monica Barbovschi’s study uses data collected as part of the cross-national EU Kids Online II project investigating children’s experiences of (and parental concerns about) the Internet. As part of the project, children completed a questionnaire about making contact with new people online...

There is nothing quite like travelling with children to make you nostalgic for your pre-children days! Jumping in the car at the last minute, flinging some gear in a backpack to board a plane seem like distant memories as you load baby gear, clothing, equipment and toys into over-loaded suitcases. I sometimes suspect that less equipment was needed to invade Russia than to take one small child half way across the country. So how do you make this Christmas season work? After all it is Christmas and you just have to go!

The writers of the Hollywood flop «Snakes on a Plane» really hadn’t done thei...

In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, people are finally motivated to look more closely how society fosters aggression.
Some blame technology and the media—pointing a finger at violent video games and violent television shows and movies.
First, it should be said that there is not sufficient evidence proving video games or movies or television cause violence...

A new global study of a century’s worth of flu pandemics gives new meaning to that «first kiss.» Influenza’s first kiss, that is.

«Your first kiss by the influenza virus produces original antigenic sins,» the study’s lead author, Dr. Thomas Reichert of the Entropy Research Institute in Lincoln, Mass., tells CBS News. «We remember our first kiss forever.»

The study, published Dec. 12 in the peer-reviewed BMC Medicine, looks at all five influenza pandemics of the past 100 years...

A cellphone game for kids about U.S. geography, «Stack the States,» gets rave reviews from parents. Its creator, Dan Russell-Pinson, considered making the 99-cent app better by adding a feature to allow children to play online against one another. But with the Federal Trade Commission issuing more stringent online child privacy rules, he’s not even pursuing the idea.
«It would require all kinds of data sharing,» said Russell-Pinson, the founder and sole employee of Freecloud Design in Charlotte, N.C. «I would be kind of afraid to do that.»
The software industry is bracing for new regulations t...

When it comes to giving children snacks, having a healthier array of options may cut down on calorie-intake while still keeping kids full, new research suggests.

Scientists found that children who were given snacks of vegetables and cheese or just plain cheese had the same levels of satiation compared to those given potato chips, meaning they were just as full. However, the vegetable and cheese groups reported significantly lower intake of calories.

«There is no magic food or ingredient that will end childhood obesity, but learning to substitute certain foods — such as choosing a combination s...

Clothing company Cotton On has been fined $1 million for selling highly flammable children’s pyjamas.

Cotton On Kids consented to orders in the Federal Court that it breached the Competition and Consumer Act by selling pyjamas that did not meet Australian standards and for mislabelling them as being of «low fire danger».

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) deputy chair Delia Rickard said the pyjamas and nightdresses were very dangerous.

«The nightwear was so flammable that they should not have been supplied in Australia at all,» she said in a statement.

«To compound this, the...

People make pro and con lists for all sorts of things — my husband and I had one when we were house hunting. And what you realize with these lists is that nothing is going to be absolutely perfect, you will make sacrifices. It’s the exact same way when it comes to parenthood.

My friend and sex and relationship writer Jamye Waxman recently asked her friends on Facebook to share the pros and cons of having babies. She’s gathering responses for a book she’s working on, and of course I, a mom of 3-year-old twins, had to weigh in.

I told her that I’ve never been happier. Kids are incredible...

The Center for Digital Democracy, a non-profit advocacy group that addresses Internet and broadband issues, filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Trade Commission, asking it to investigate and take action against Nickelodeon and mobile game maker PlayFirst for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act with the game «SpongeBob Diner Dash.»

The game — which has been downloaded 10 million times for iPhone and iPad according to PlayFirst’s blog — asks children to provide «a wide range of personal information, including full name, email address and other online contact information,...

Report criticises treatment of children in care outside their home areas and under supervision of youth offending teams

Up to 3,000 of the most damaged and difficult-to-place children in care are being failed by the state, according to a damning report by the chief inspector of probation and other watchdogs.

In one children’s home they found a 16-year-old who has had 31 different placements since he was taken into care at the age of three. The independent inspectors also found victims of sexual abuse had been placed in units with those who had committed sexually harmful behaviour.

Liz Calderba...