Playing sports can offer a lot of benefits for kids, but it's also important to help protect them from injuries.

Parents and coaches can make a big difference in helping kids play safely, according to Nemours Kids Health.

The medical organization suggests starting with proper equipment. Use it, but also make sure the safety gear is the right size, fits well and is right for the sp...

Parents who drink too much, too often, may be influencing their teens to do the same, a new study finds.

"Adolescents whose parents binge drink had a four times greater chance of drinking alcohol themselves compared to adolescents whose parents did not binge drink, and so this study provides more evidence that binge drinking is not only harmful to the person drinking alcohol but also to o...

For parents worried about how Disney princesses might impact their child's self-image, a new study is saying, “Let it go.”

“In children's media, about 60% of the characters are men and boys, they're male. And Disney princesses are probably one of the more visible and more well-known examples of media, made for children specifically, that's focused on female characters and women's st...

So much for the powerful feminist messaging in the new Barbie movie.

Director Greta Gerwig's feminist interpretation of Barbie depicted the fashion dolls as judges, surgeons, naval officers, astronauts and U.S. Presidents in Barbie World, and it resonated. The Barbie movie broke box office records this summer.

But new research shows most people are not living in this re-imagined Bar...

Lots of parents are giving their children the supplement melatonin to help with sleep, but is it safe?

In a new survey, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) found that 46% of parents -- what it called a “shocking number” -- have given melatonin to children under the age of 13. About 30% gave their teenager melatonin to aid in sleep.

Yet, there is little evidence that m...

Just like adults, kids face daily stressors.

Luckily, a new study suggests that teaching them creative thinking can help them manage it all.

Researchers found that when school-age children learned some "narrative creativity" techniques -- such as shifting your perspective and imagining "what if" scenarios -- they quickly became better problem-solvers.

After a week-long creativ...

Just 1 in 4 children with autism is diagnosed before age 3, but a new eye-tracking technology may allow for earlier diagnosis and intervention, according to three clinical studies of more than 1,500 kids.

Autism is a disorder marked by difficulties with communication and social interaction. In the United States, it affects about 1 child in 36, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Con...

Lots of children and adolescents have the condition known as ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

What should parents know? A number of treatments exist to help with functioning, including medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Typically, ADHD begins between ages 3 and 6, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. It can continu...

Drugs and children don't mix, so it's important to keep little ones safe by storing any marijuana edibles out of reach from small hands.

The New Jersey Poison Control Center is offering warnings that can apply anywhere, after aiding in the medical treatment of 30 children ranging from the ages of 1 to 12 who accidentally ate marijuana edibles in July.

"It is difficult for anyone, es...

Along with having to deal with the social stigma of having a parent who is incarcerated, young adults in that situation may be more likely to develop signs of heart trouble, a new study finds.

The health impacts of having a parent who spent time in jail have been understudied, the researchers noted.

"There was very little data on its association with cardiovascular risks,” said le...

Infants born three to six weeks early -- considered late preterm -- are at risk for learning problems, but they can be overcome, researchers say.

Preschool attendance and sensitive parenting can help them bridge the gap academically, a new study shows.

"Our findings highlight an opportunity for pediatric providers to offer prevention strategies to parents of late preterm infants to...

It's time for everyone to change the words we use when we talk about kids who are deaf or hard of hearing.

This is one of the main messages from newly updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics on hearing in infants...

Young Black children living in racially segregated U.S. neighborhoods are at heightened risk of potentially brain-damaging lead exposure, a new study warns.

The study, of nearly 321,000 North Carolina children under the age of 7, found that those living in predominantly Black neighborhoods had higher blood levels of lead than those living in more integrated areas.

Experts said the f...

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are surging in popularity, but that doesn't mean they're good for everyone.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) may be dangerous for children, warned researchers at University of California, Irvine.

Treating childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes with these injected medications may have unintended and adverse consequences in p...

Brightly colored "edibles" can be tempting for young kids and are more widely available now that many U.S. states have legalized cannabis for recreational and medical use.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take much of an edible to make a small child very sick, new research finds, which may explain an uptick in hospitalizations of kids poisoned by cannabis.

“There are many studies de...

Tears may flow when parents drop their teen off at college. Watching kids leave the nest can tug at the heart and make parents a little anxious about what's to come.

That makes sense, but it's natural that young adults will become more independent and develop autonomy from their parents and grandparents. So, how can parents rise to the occasion?

An expert from Virginia Tech offers s...

For the first time in a decade, the rate at which American adolescents received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has not increased, new data show.

Current guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that both girls and boys receive t...

Children need to get up off the sofa and move more, according to a new study that linked childhood sitting time with heart damage in young adulthood.

That was true even when the adult's blood pressure and weight were healthy, according to researchers.

“All those hours of screen time in young people add up to a heavier heart, which we know from studies in adults raises the likelih...

Eye tests are an important way to catch potential eye-related issues in children, but more than two-thirds of kids in the United States are not receiving them at their checkups.

Those with Medicaid and other public health insurance were far less likely to receive these vision checks in the past year at their primary care doctor's office, according to researchers at University of Michigan ...

Too much screen time can lead to developmental delays in babies, researchers say.

When 1-year-olds viewed screens for more than four hours a day, they had delays in communication and problem-solving skills when assessed at ages 2 and 4, according to a new study published Aug. 21 in

When U.S. parents express their concerns about their school-aged children, social media use and the internet are at the top of the list.

Mental health issues are another top worry, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

“Parents still view problems di...

Helping a child who struggles with reading can be a rewarding experience.

A nationally known expert offers some tips for parents who are trying to help their child work through these difficulties.

Patricia Edwards, professor of language and literacy at Michigan State University's College of Education, s...

It's fun to playfully toss a toddler into the air, or tote a kid piggyback-style on your shoulders.

But those delightful giggles may come with a risk of head injury from a typically overlooked hazard -- the room's ceiling fan.

Each year U.S. emergency rooms treat about 2,300 children for head injuries caused by ceiling fans, according to Consumer Product Safety Commission data colle...

All infants should receive the new long-acting preventive monoclonal antibody for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the nation's leading pediatrics group said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urged that access to the new medication, called nirsevimab, be equitable.

RSV is common, contagious and sometimes deadly, the AAP said.

The antibody boosts the immune system.

Keeping to a consistent bedtime routine is the key to helping your kids get restful and refreshing sleep.

Fortunately, about 81% of parents with kids under 18 surveyed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) say that's happening in their house.

The AASM offers some sleep tips to start the school year off right.

“Setting a consistent bedtime routine is very important...

Heading back to school requires supplies and planning for all, but if you're a parent of a child with allergies or asthma then you have even more to consider.

“The start of a new school year is exciting for some, but for parents of children with allergies and asthma, their thoughts are probably on keeping their child free from triggers that can cause allergic reactions,” said allergis...

Buying back-to-school shoes should be more about the right fit than the right look — but with luck you can combine the two.

Shoes play a big part in how kids' feet function and should be selected with care, say orthopedists at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York.

“When parents bring their children in with foot pain or an injury, the first thing I do is ask about ...

A leading U.S. pediatric organization has reaffirmed its support for gender-related treatments in minors, but also plans a systematic review of the medical research.

The move by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to examine research on the treatments is similar to recent moves in England and Sweden. Both limited access to the treatments after their reviews found uncertain evidence f...

The trauma and unhappy family dynamics of childhood may follow kids into old age, affecting both their mind and body, according to new research.

“We looked at self-reported disability, as well as objectively measured physical and cognitive impairment, and learned that early-life stressful experiences can have ramifications all the way into older age,” said senior author